Though he did not receive Gov. Dannel Malloy’s support in his mayoral campaign against Mayor Toni Harp last year, Justin Elicker endorsed Malloy for governor earlier this week.

Elicker formally backed the incumbent candidate outside P&M Orange Street Market on Sunday afternoon, urging attendees to vote for Malloy as the “right choice for New Haven and the State of Connecticut.”

With the gubernatorial race between Malloy and Republican challenger Tom Foley expected to be a close one, the votes of Elicker’s supporters could prove crucial in securing an Elm City victory. In 2010, Malloy took New Haven by over 18,000 votes.

In a Sunday email to supporters, Elicker encouraged New Haven residents to join him in focusing on policies instead of personal relationships.

“Governor Malloy is far and away the best choice,” Elicker wrote. He cited the incumbent governor’s state aid to Hew Haven, progressive response to gun violence and implementation of Access Health CT — the state’s health exchange where citizens can buy health insurance — as reasons to support him on Nov. 4.

Formerly the Ward 10 Alder, Elicker now serves as part-time executive director of the New Haven Land Trust, which focuses on improving urban environmental health in the city. He also teaches a course on education and school reform at Southern Connecticut State University.