Vacancy: Open Seats in Legislature

06.28.2012
Issues & Policies

Our first prediction of the 2012 election season: Next year’s General Assembly will have many new faces.
That’s not exactly going out on a limb, because, right now, there are 3 Senate and 21 House seats in which the current legislator is not running for reelection.
Redistricting, retirements, career changes, and eyes on other elective offices are among the reasons.
Which means it’s certain that voters in at least 24 state districts will be sending someone different to Hartford next January.
And note that there are primary battles in many of these districts on Aug. 14 to decide final major-party candidates.
To be sure, every race for every seat in the legislature is important. But open seats are fairly rare in this “Land of Steady Habits.” Incumbents usually stay in office and keep their legislative seats for many years.
Here’s a list of the open seats, current candidates, and the legislators not running again.

State Senate

(*= Primary on Aug. 14)
District 19:Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich, Sprague
Current legislator: Sen. Edith Prague (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Chris Coutu (R)
  • Catherine Osten (D)*
  • Thomas Reynolds (D)*

District 30: Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Winchester
Current legislator: Sen. Andrew Roraback (R), running for Congress
Candidates:

  • Clark Chapin (R)
  • William Riiska (D)

District 33: Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook
Current legislator:  Sen. Eileen Daily (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Jim Crawford (D)*
  • Mary Ellen Klinck (D)*
  • Art Linares (R)

State House of Representatives

(*= Primary on Aug. 14)
District 4: Hartford
Current legislator: Rep. Kelvin Roldan (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Angel Arce (D)
  • Rico Dence (R)

District 5: Windsor, Hartford
Current legislator: Rep. Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Leo Canty (D)*
  • Brandon McGee Jr. (D)*
  • Donald Trinks (D)*
  • Paul Panos (R)

District 13: Manchester, Glastonbury
Current legislator: Rep. John Thompson (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Joseph Diminico (D)*
  • Tom Gullotta (D)*
  • Mark Tweedy (R)

District 16: Simsbury
Current legislator: Rep. Linda Schofield (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Charity Folk (R)
  • John Hampton (D)

District 34: East Hampton, East Haddam, Colchester
Current legislator: Rep. Gail Hamm (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Christopher Goff (D)
  • Melissa Ziobron (R)

District 35: Clinton, Killingworth, Westbrook
Current legislator: Rep. James Crawford (D), running for State Senate
Candidates:

  • Tom Vicino (D)
  • John Samperi (R)

District 42: Ledyard, Montville, Preston
Current legislator: Rep. Thomas Reynolds (D), running for State Senate
Candidate:

  • Timothy Bowles (D)

District 46: Norwich
Current legislator: Rep. Melissa Olson-Riley (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Mikel Middleton (R)
  • Emmett Riley (D)

District 47:Canterbury, Norwich, Scotland, Sprague, Chaplin, Lebanon, Lisbon, Franklin, Hampton
Current legislator: Rep. Christopher Coutu (R)
Candidates:

  • Noah Enslow (R)
  • Brian Sear (D)

District 63: Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk, North Canaan, Winchester
Current legislator: Rep. John Rigby (R), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Jay Case (R)
  • Doug Benedetto (D)*
  • Michael Renzullo (D)*

District 67: New Milford
Current legislator: Rep. Clark Chapin (R), running for State Senate
Candidates:

  • Cecilia Buck-Taylor  (R)
    Andrew Grossman (D)

District 81: Southington
Current legislator: Bruce Zalaski (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Cheryl Lounsbury (R)
  • David Zoni (D)

District 84: Meriden
Current legislator: Rep. Christopher Donovan (D), not seeking reelection
Candidate:

  • Hilda Santiago (D)

District 91: Hamden
Current legislator: Rep. Peter Villano (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Joseph Bertini (R)
  • John Flanagan (D)*
  • Michael D’Agostino(D)*

District 106: Newtown
Current legislator: Rep. Christopher Lyddy (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Mitch Bolinsky (R)
  • Lisa Romano (D)

District 109: Danbury
Current legislator: Rep. Joseph Taborsak (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • David Arconti Jr. (D)
    Andrew Wetmore (R)

District 119: Milford, Orange
Current legislator: Rep. Richard Roy (D), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • James Maroney (D)
  • Pam Staneski (R)

District 123: Trumbull
Current legislator: Rep. T.R. Rowe (R)
Candidates:

  • Tom Christiano (D)
  • Dave Rutigliano (R)

District 125: New Canaan, Wilton
Current legislator: Rep. John Hetherington (R), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Thomas O’Dea (R)
  • Mark Robbins (D)

District 128: Bridgeport
Current legislator: Rep. Andres Ayala (D), running for State Senate
Candidates:

  • Manuel Bataguas (R)
  • Christine Ayala (D)

District 150: Greenwich
Current legislator: Rep. Lile Gibbons (R), not seeking reelection
Candidates:

  • Stephanie Paulmeno (D)
  • Stephen Walko (R)
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