The Democratic nominee, former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, narrowly won the general election, defeating Republican Thomas C. Foley.

"[46] While never named a preferred running for mate himself, Foley gave praise to both Michael Fedele's choice, Mark Boughton, and Lisa Wilson-Foley (of no relation).

In the party primaries held on August 10, both party-endorsed candidates won, with Boughton defeating Wilson-Foley for the GOP nomination and Wyman winning the Democratic nod over Glassman.

[49] The death penalty disagreement between Foley and Malloy gained additional attention due to the contemporaneous trial, conviction, and sentencing phase (which was under deliberation in the lead-up to Election Day)[50] of Steven J. Hayes for a home invasion/murder in 2007 in Cheshire.

[51] On September 28, 2010, candidates Thomas C. Foley, Dannel Malloy, and Tom Marsh participated in the first gubernatorial debate of the 2010 race, a 50-minute, non-televised forum on education concerns in Hartford.

[53] In the debate, Foley stated that jobs and education would be his top priorities if elected governor, that more spending is not the solution to solve education-related problems, and that Malloy has "support[ed] the status quo" of teachers' unions.

[55] Among other things in the debate in which the two opponents "clashed sharply,"[55] Foley voiced his support for retaining Connecticut's death penalty as is, pledging to veto abolishment bills placed on his desk as governor, while Malloy reiterated his opposition to capital punishment, though he stated he would not retroactively undo death sentences of individuals currently in the process.

[55] State labor department figures have shown Stamford to have lost more than 5,000 net jobs during the 14-year period of Malloy's tenure as mayor.

[56] A third, an afternoon debate broadcast live from Fairfield University on Connecticut Public Television, WFSB, and WNPR radio, occurred on October 19.

Once the ballots from Bridgeport were counted, Democrat Dan Malloy was declared the winner by Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who, according to the Stamford Advocate, based her announcement on preliminary, "informal totals.