Connecticut State Senate elections, 2014

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Connecticut State Senate elections, 2014

Majority control • Qualifications

List of candidates District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22• District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32• District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36

State Legislative Election Results

Connecticut State Senate • 2014 Connecticut House Elections

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 10, 2014.

Following the general election, there was no change to the majority control of the Connecticut State Senate. The chamber's majority was held by the Democratic Party, which lost only a single seat following the election, dropping from 22 to 21. Their Republican counterparts increased from 14 to 15 seats.

Incumbents retiring

A total of six incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Current Office
Gary LeBeau	Democratic	Senate District 3
Edward Meyer	Democratic	Senate District 12
Andrea Stillman	Democratic	Senate District 20
John McKinney	Republican	Senate District 28
Donald Williams, Jr.	Democratic	Senate District 29
Jason Welch	Republican	Senate District 31

Majority control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates

Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Connecticut State Senate:

Connecticut State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2014	After November 4, 2014
	Democratic Party	22	21
	Republican Party	14	15
Total		36	36

Qualifications

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Article III, Section 3 of the Connecticut Constitution states: The senate shall consist of not less than thirty and not more than fifty members, each of whom shall be an elector residing in the senatorial district from which he is elected. Each senatorial district shall be contiguous as to territory and shall elect no more than one senator.

Competitiveness

Candidates unopposed by a major party

In eight of the 36 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. Four Democrats and four Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 27 of the 36 districts up for election. Four of those seats held competitive elections in 2012 with a margin of victory ranging from 0 to 5 percent. Two other elections were mildly competitive, with a margin of victory of 5 to 10 percent. Three districts that held competitive elections in 2012 feature only one major party in 2014. Those districts were:

Competitive

• District 7: Incumbent John A. Kissell (R) defeated John Foxx (D) in the general election. Kissell won by a margin of victory of 1 percent in 2012.
• District 13: Incumbent Dante Bartolomeo (D) faced Len Suzio (R) in the general election. Bartolomeo won by a margin of victory of 0.7 percent in 2012.
• District 19: Incumbent Catherine A. Osten (D) defeated Steven Everett (R) in the general election. Osten won by a margin of victory of 3 percent in 2012.
• District 33: Incumbent Art Linares (R) defeated Emily Bjornberg (D) in the general election. Linares won by a margin of victory of 5 percent in 2012.

Mildly Competitive

• District 12: Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D) defeated Bruce H. Wilson, Jr. (R) in the general election for the seat vacated by Edward Meyer (D). Meyer won by a margin of victory of 6 percent in 2012.
• District 30: Incumbent Clark J. Chapin (R) defeated William O. Riiska (D) in the general election. Ward-Engelking won by a margin of victory of 10 percent in 2012.

Previously Competitive, Now Unopposed by Major Party

• District 16: Incumbent Joe Markley (R) ran unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Christopher R. Robertson (W) the general election. Markley won by a margin of victory of 4 percent in 2012.
• District 24: Incumbent Michael A. McLachlan (R) ran unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Theodore Feng (W) the general election. McLachlan won by a margin of victory of 3 percent in 2012.

Primary challenges

A total of three incumbents faced primary competition on August 12. Six incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another 27 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The state senators that faced primary competition were:

• District 2: Incumbent Eric D. Coleman (D) defeated Shawn Wooden and Len Walker in the Democratic primary.
• District 22: Incumbent Anthony J. Musto (D) was defeated by Marilyn Moore in the Democratic primary.
• District 23: Incumbent Andres Ayala, Jr. (D) defeated Scott Hughes in the Democratic primary.

Retiring incumbents

Six incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 30 (83.3%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, four Democrats and two Republicans, can be found above.

List of candidates

Note: In Connecticut:

• Endorsed candidates must be chosen at a party convention.
• No more than one candidate is allowed to be nominated for any office at the convention.
• That candidate then runs in the primary as a "party-endorsed candidate."
• Both endorsed and non-endorsed candidates must receive at least 15% of the vote at a convention or gather enough signatures to equal 2% of enrolled party members.
• If there is only one candidate, no primary is held.

District 1

August 12 Democratic primary:

• John W. Fonfara a - Incumbent Fonfara first assumed office in 1997.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Barbara J. Ruhe a

Green Party candidates:

• Barbara A. Barry

Nonpartisan candidates:

• Alyssa S. Peterson

November 4 General election candidates:

John W. Fonfara: 11,097

Barbara J. Ruhe: 4,135

Barbara A. Barry: 335

John W. Fonfara: 811

Alyssa S. Peterson: 156

District 2

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Shawn Wooden: 2,852
• Eric D. Coleman: 3,211 a - Incumbent Coleman first assumed office in 1995.
• Len Walker: 151

August 12 GOP primary:

• Theresa Tillett a

November 4 General election candidates:

Eric D. Coleman: 18,905

Theresa Tillett: 4,507

Eric D. Coleman: 1,224

District 3

Note: Incumbent Gary LeBeau (D) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Timothy D. Larson a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Sean Kelly a

November 4 General election candidates:

Timothy D. Larson: 17,536

Sean Kelly: 11,337

District 4

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Steve Cassano a - Incumbent Cassano first assumed office in 2011.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Whit Osgood a

November 4 General election candidates:

Steve Cassano: 16,567

Whit Osgood: 15,181

Steve Cassano: 1,098

Whit Osgood: 1,048

District 5

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Beth Bye a - Incumbent Bye first assumed office in 2011.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Bill Wadsworth a

November 4 General election candidates:

Beth Bye: 22,181

Bill Wadsworth: 14,653

Bill Wadsworth: 804

District 6

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Terry Gerratana a - Incumbent Gerratana first assumed office in 2011.

August 12 GOP primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

November 4 General election candidates:

Terry Gerratana: 13,637

Terry Gerratana: 1,897

District 7

August 12 Democratic primary:

• John Foxx a

August 12 GOP primary:

• John A. Kissel a - Incumbent Kissel first assumed office in 1993.

November 4 General election candidates:

John Foxx: 9,704

John A. Kissel: 22,160

District 8

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Melissa E. Osborne a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Kevin D. Witkos a - Incumbent Witkos first assumed office in 2009.

November 4 General election candidates:

Melissa E. Osborne: 13,843

Kevin D. Witkos: 22,364

Kevin D. Witkos: 1,508

District 9

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Paul R. Doyle a - Incumbent Doyle first assumed office in 2007.

August 12 GOP primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

November 4 General election candidates:

Paul R. Doyle: 20,799

Earle V. Roberts: 12,164

Note: Roberts filed to run after the primary.

District 10

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Gary Holder-Winfield a - Incumbent Holder-Winfield first assumed office in February 2014.

August 12 GOP primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

November 4 General election candidates:

Gary Holder-Winfield: 15,490

Gary Holder-Winfield: 1,125

District 11

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Martin M. Looney a - Incumbent Looney first assumed office in 1993.

August 12 GOP primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

November 4 General election candidates:

Martin M. Looney: 18,162

Martin M. Looney: 1,631

District 12

Note: Incumbent Edward Meyer (D) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Ted Kennedy, Jr. a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Bruce H. Wilson, Jr. a

November 4 General election candidates:

Ted Kennedy, Jr.: 20,885

Bruce H. Wilson, Jr.: 15,690

Ted Kennedy, Jr.: 1,174

Bruce H. Wilson, Jr. 856

District 13

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Dante Bartolomeo a - Incumbent Bartolomeo first assumed office in 2013.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Len Suzio a

November 4 General election candidates:

Dante Bartolomeo: 13,918

Len Suzio: 13,613

Len Suzio: 1,193

Dante Bartolomeo: 1,122

District 14

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Gayle Slossberg a - Incumbent Slossberg first assumed office in 2005.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Matt Gaynor a

November 4 General election candidates:

Gayle Slossberg: 18,234

Matt Gaynor: 13,013

Matt Gaynor: 847

District 15

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Joan V. Hartley a - Incumbent Hartley first assumed office in 2001.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Karl D. Shehu a

Working Families Party candidates:

• Blair Bertaccini

November 4 General election candidates:

Joan V. Hartley: 12,083

Karl D. Shehu: 5,739

Blair Bertaccini: 510

Joan V. Hartley: 851

District 16

August 12 Democratic primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Joe Markley a - Incumbent Markley first assumed office in 2011.

Working Families Party candidates:

• Christopher R. Robertson

November 4 General election candidates:

Joe Markley: 22,132

Christopher R. Robertson: 5,945

District 17

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Joe Crisco a - Incumbent Crisco first assumed office in 1993.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Philip Tripp a

November 4 General election candidates:

Joe Crisco: 14,382

Philip Tripp: 11,958

Philip Tripp: 902

Joe Crisco: 985

District 18

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Andrew Maynard a - Incumbent Maynard first assumed office in 2007.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Kevin G. Trejo a

November 4 General election candidates:

Andrew Maynard: 16,790

Kevin G. Trejo: 11,873

District 19

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Catherine A. Osten a - Incumbent Osten first assumed office in 2013.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Steven Everett a

November 4 General election candidates:

Catherine A. Osten: 15,057

Steven Everett: 12,047

Catherine A. Osten: 1,369

Steven Everett: 999

District 20

Note: Incumbent Andrea Stillman (D) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Elizabeth B. Ritter: 2,837 a
• William L. Satti: 1,495

August 12 GOP primary:

• Paul M. Formica a

Working Families Party candidates:

• Elizabeth B. Ritter

November 4 General election candidates:

Elizabeth B. Ritter: 13,077

Paul M. Formica: 16,103

Elizabeth B. Ritter: 804

Paul M. Formica: 1,404

District 21

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Prez Palmer a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Kevin C. Kelly a - Incumbent Kelly first assumed office in 2011.

November 4 General election candidates:

Prez Palmer: 10,384

Kevin C. Kelly: 21,731

District 22

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Anthony J. Musto: 1,530 - Incumbent Musto first assumed office in 2009.
• Marilyn Moore: 1,612 a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Enrico R. Costantini a

November 4 General election candidates:

Marilyn Moore: 12,237

Enrico R. Costantini: 11,545

Marilyn Moore: 1,202

District 23

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Andres Ayala, Jr.: 2,462 a - Incumbent Ayala first assumed office in 2013.
• Scott Hughes: 1,091

August 12 GOP primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

November 4 General election candidates:

Andres Ayala, Jr.: 9,476

Andres Ayala, Jr.: 807

District 24

August 12 Democratic primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Michael A. McLachlan a - Incumbent McLachlan first assumed office in 2009.

Working Families Party candidates:

• Theodore Feng

November 4 General election candidates:

Michael A. McLachlan: 13,392

Theodore Feng: 2,488

Michael A. McLachlan: 2,046

District 25

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Bob Duff a - Incumbent Duff first assumed office in 2005.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Bill Dunne a

November 4 General election candidates:

Bob Duff: 16,310

Bill Dunne: 10,127

District 26

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Phil Sharlach a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Toni Boucher a - Incumbent Boucher first assumed office in 2009.

November 4 General election candidates:

Phil Sharlach: 12,617

Toni Boucher: 24,300

Phil Sharlach: 658

District 27

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Carlo Leone a - Incumbent Leone first assumed office in 2011.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Eva A. Maldonado a

Green Party candidates:

• David Michel

November 4 General election candidates:

Carlo Leone: 12,142

Eva A. Maldonado: 8,950

David Michel: 357

Eva A. Maldonado: 745

District 28

Note: Incumbent John McKinney (R) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Kim Fawcett a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Tony Hwang a

November 4 General election candidates:

Kim Fawcett: 15,121

Tony Hwang: 19,428

Kim Fawcett: 840

Tony Hwang: 1,053

District 29

Note: Incumbent Donald Williams, Jr. (D) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Mae Flexer a

August 12 GOP primary:

• John French a

November 4 General election candidates:

Mae Flexer: 11,537

John French: 10,850

Mae Flexer: 1,099

John French: 1,266

District 30

August 12 Democratic primary:

• William O. Riiska a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Clark J. Chapin a - Incumbent Chapin first assumed office in 2013.

November 4 General election candidates:

William O. Riiska: 13,749

Clark J. Chapin: 17,744

Clark J. Chapin: 1,498

District 31

Note: Incumbent Jason Welch (R) did not run for re-election.

August 12 Democratic primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Henri Martin a

November 4 General election candidates:

Robert Michalik: 13,773

Henri Martin: 15,318

Robert Michalik: 1,150

Henri Martin: 1,149

Note: Michalik filed to run after the primary.

District 32

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Donato Orsini a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Robert J. Kane a - Incumbent Kane first assumed office in 2009.

November 4 General election candidates:

Donato Orsini: 11,383

Robert J. Kane: 23,547

Donato Orsini: 985

District 33

August 12 Democratic primary:

• Emily Bjornberg a

August 12 GOP primary:

• Art Linares a - Incumbent Linares first assumed office in 2013.

Green Party candidates:

• Colin D. Bennett

November 4 General election candidates:

Emily Bjornberg: 16,161

Art Linares: 21,173

Colin D. Bennett: 527

Emily Bjornberg: 1,165

Art Linares: 1,499

District 34

August 12 Democratic primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Len Fasano a - Incumbent Fasano first assumed office in 2003.

November 4 General election candidates:

Len Fasano: 19,160

Len Fasano: 3,369

District 35

August 12 Democratic primary:

Note: Bill Loftus withdrew from race on July 11.

August 12 GOP primary:

• Tony Guglielmo a - Incumbent Guglielmo first assumed office in 1993.

Working Families Party candidates:

• Andrea Penta

November 4 General election candidates:

Tony Guglielmo: 25,547

Andrea Penta: 5,183

District 36

August 12 Democratic primary:

• No candidates filed to run.

August 12 GOP primary:

• L. Scott Frantz a - Incumbent Frantz first assumed office in 2009.

Green Party candidates:

• Edward Heflin

November 4 General election candidates:

L. Scott Frantz: 21,100

Edward Heflin: 3,189

See also

• Connecticut State Senate
• Connecticut State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Connecticut Secretary of State - Official candidate list
• Connecticut Secretary of the State, Primary and General election results

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Connecticut State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Bob Duff

Minority Leader:Stephen Harding

Senators

District 1

John Fonfara (D)

District 2

Douglas McCrory (D)

District 3

Saud Anwar (D)

District 4

MD Rahman (D)

District 5

Derek Slap (D)

District 6

Rick Lopes (D)

District 7

John Kissel (R)

District 8

Lisa Seminara (R)

District 9

Matthew Lesser (D)

District 10

Gary Winfield (D)

District 11

Martin Looney (D)

District 12

Christine Cohen (D)

District 13

Jan Hochadel (D)

District 14

James Maroney (D)

District 15

Joan Hartley (D)

District 16

Robert Sampson (R)

District 17

Jorge Cabrera (D)

District 18

Heather Somers (R)

District 19

Catherine Osten (D)

District 20

Martha Marx (D)

District 21

Kevin Kelly (R)

District 22

Marilyn Moore (D)

District 23

Herron Gaston (D)

District 24

Julie Kushner (D)

District 25

Bob Duff (D)

District 26

Ceci Maher (D)

District 27

Patricia Miller (D)

District 28

Tony Hwang (R)

District 29

Mae Flexer (D)

District 30

Stephen Harding (R)

District 31

Henri Martin (R)

District 32

Eric Berthel (R)

District 33

Norm Needleman (D)

District 34

Paul Cicarella (R)

District 35

Jeff Gordon (R)

District 36

Ryan Fazio (R)

Democratic Party (24)

Republican Party (12)