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The state’s real estate professionals have picked their man in this fall’s election.

CT Realtors announced it had picked incumbent Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont over Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski in the race for governor.

“Decisions made by Governor Lamont and his administration over the past four years have allowed Connecticut real estate to thrive,” CT Realtors 2022 President Tammy Felenstein said in a statement. “Governor Lamont kept the real estate industry as an essential business, which was extremely important to the more than ten thousand buyers and sellers under contract at the start of the pandemic.”

Stefanowski, a 60-year-old consultant and former CEO of a payday loan company, lives in Madison and has never held elected office. He has also worked for General Electric and investment bank UBS, among other entities.

Lamont, 68, is the founder of a cable TV company, a former Greenwich selectman and the husband of venture capitalist Annie Lamont. Lamont defeated Stefanowski for the governorship in 2018.

CT Realtors is nonpartisan, and said it felt Lamont offered a better option for the state’s business climate.

“Governor Lamont has proactively worked to reduce property taxes and continues to support policy decisions making Connecticut the right place to live and work,” CT Realtors’ incoming 2023 president David Gallitto said in a statement. “Connecticut’s real estate industry and its economic success are tied together, and Governor Lamont understands that connection.”