William Tong
2019 - Present
2027
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William Tong (Democratic Party) is the Attorney General of Connecticut. He assumed office on January 9, 2019. His current term ends on January 6, 2027.
Tong (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) ran for re-election for Attorney General of Connecticut. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Tong represented District 147 in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.
Biography
Tong earned his B.S. from Brown University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago.[1] His professional experience includes working as an associate with Finn Dixon and Herling, Limited Liability Partnership, as an associate with the Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, Limited Liability Partnership from 1999-2003, and as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Limited Liability Partnership from 1995-1997. He became a member of the Person-to-Person Board in 2004.[2]
Elections
2022
See also: Connecticut Attorney General election, 2022
General election
General election for Attorney General of Connecticut
Incumbent William Tong defeated Jessica Kordas, A.P. Pascarella, and Ken Krayeske in the general election for Attorney General of Connecticut on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William Tong (D / Working Families Party) | 57.1 | 713,894 |
 | Jessica Kordas (R) | 41.4 | 518,128 | |
 | A.P. Pascarella (Independent Party) | 0.9 | 11,788 | |
 | Ken Krayeske (G) | 0.6 | 7,103 | |
| Total votes: 1,250,913 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent William Tong advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Connecticut.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Jessica Kordas advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Connecticut.
2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of Connecticut
William Tong defeated Susan Hatfield and Peter Goselin in the general election for Attorney General of Connecticut on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Tong (D) | 52.5 | 715,340 |
 | Susan Hatfield (R) | 46.5 | 633,360 | |
 | Peter Goselin (G) | 1.1 | 14,358 | |
| Total votes: 1,363,058 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Connecticut
William Tong defeated Chris Mattei and Paul Doyle in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Tong | 57.4 | 119,574 |
 | Chris Mattei | 25.8 | 53,822 | |
 | Paul Doyle | 16.7 | 34,822 | |
| Total votes: 208,218 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Clare Kindall (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Connecticut
Susan Hatfield defeated John Shaban in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Susan Hatfield | 79.3 | 106,076 |
 | John Shaban | 20.7 | 27,639 | |
| Total votes: 133,715 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.
Incumbent William Tong ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 147 general election.[3]
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 147 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  William Tong Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of the State | ||
Incumbent William Tong ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 147 Democratic primary.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 147 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | William Tong Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Barry Weston ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 147 Republican primary.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 147 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Barry Weston (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives 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. Incumbent William Tong was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Dennis Mahoney was unopposed in the Republican primary. Tong defeated Mahoney in the general election.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Tong Incumbent |
51% | 3,905 | |
| Republican | Dennis Mahoney | 46.4% | 3,553 | |
| Independent | Dennis Mahoney | 2.6% | 198 | |
| Total Votes | 7,656 | |||
2012
U.S. Senate
Tong ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. Senate, representing Connecticut. Tong initially sought the nomination on the Democratic ticket but did not appear on the primary ballot.[6][7]
Connecticut House of Representatives
Tong ran in the 2012 election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 147. Tong ran unopposed in the August 14 Democratic primary and defeated Nicola Tarzia (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[8][9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Tong Incumbent |
56.9% | 6,214 | |
| Republican | Nicola Tarzia | 43.1% | 4,708 | |
| Total Votes | 10,922 | |||
2010
U.S. House
Tong ran for re-election to the 147th District seat in 2010. Tong ran unopposed in the primary. He defeated independent candidate Dennis Mahoney in the November 2 general election.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 147 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| William Tong (D)
|
5,350 | |||
| Dennis Mahoney (Ind) | 2,495 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Tong won re-election to the Connecticut House of Representatives from Connecticut's 147th District, defeating Brent Yarnell (write-in). Tong received 8,348 votes in the election while Yarnell received 1 vote.[11] Tong raised $8,109 for his campaign.[12]
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 147 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| William Tong (D)
|
8,348 | |||
| Brent Yarnell (write-in) | 1 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Tong did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Tong completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tong's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My first job is to protect Connecticut families. We are under tremendous pressure, and we're all getting squeezed by big companies and powerful forces that make very difficult to raise a family, run a business, and retire comfortably here. Donald Trump makes it so much worse by attacking women, immigrants, even Connecticut taxpayers. I will be the firewall that protects and defends all of us and our way of life. I will immediately strengthen and assign additional resources to consumer protection. We will focus on protecting consumers from excessive health care and prescription drug costs, abusive and predatory lending practices, and telephone and internet scams. I will expand our state's focus on consumer protection lawsuits on a larger scale, from the generic drug price fixing suit to the the opioid investigation, the net neutrality suit, and investigations and suits related to major data and privacy breaches. And I will push the legislature to create a Civil Rights Division in the Attorney General's office to fight for Connecticut residents when their constitutional rights and fundamental liberties are threatened.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
This is a very personal campaign for me. As the son of immigrants who came to this country with almost nothing, I feel like my family and I have a target on our backs. The President has announced that he has formed a task force to de-naturalize American citizens, like my parents. And if you are like us, if you come from immigrants, or if you are a woman, or a member of a labor union, or a Connecticut taxpayer, it is clear that the President has declared war on your and your family. That is why I am running for Attorney General. The Attorney General is the first and the last line of defense to protect our way of life -- he or she is the firewall to protect Connecticut families.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Tong’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Gun Violence As Attorney General, William will continue fighting for common sense gun laws. He will hold the gun lobby and industry accountable for gun trafficking and the proliferation of guns into Connecticut’s communities. William will resist and take legal action against any federal laws that encroach on Connecticut’s sovereign right to pass its own gun laws, including any “concealed carry” law that purports to force Connecticut to recognize gun permits from other states. Protecting Families As Attorney General, Tong will protect children from predators. He will champion legislative initiatives and work with the Office of the Child Advocate to protect children everywhere in the state of Connecticut. Criminal Justice Reform As Attorney General, William will continue his work with community advocates, legislative leaders, prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement, and public safety and corrections officials to advance criminal justice reforms across the state. Opioid and Prescription Drug Crisis In the legislature, William worked with his colleagues to combat the opioid crisis in Connecticut by establishing tough new prescription standards to avoid abuse and funding additional doses of anti-overdose medication to all state police officers. Protecting Personal Data William will bring action against any technology company, no matter the size, if they are abusing their terms of service to sell personal data. William Tong will fight back on behalf of Connecticut consumers. Consumer Protection and Financial Fraud When he was Chairman of the Banking Committee, William took on the big banks at the height of the foreclosure crisis. He passed legislation that changed Connecticut’s foreclosure laws to help struggling families stay in their homes. President Trump and his administration are now trying to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that was created by President Obama. William will fight back by creating a state consumer financial protection bureau and financial fraud task force to step in and take action against any company that takes advantage of Connecticut families. William will use the powers granted to state Attorneys General under the Dodd-Frank Act to protect Connecticut residents from financial fraud and abuse from payday lenders, student loan lenders, high-interest consumer lenders, and large banks and financial institutions. Immigration As Attorney General, William will stand up for immigrant families and vigorously defend the TRUST Act and the right of Connecticut localities to declare themselves sanctuary cities to protect undocumented immigrants from unfair deportation. William will join with other Attorneys General to fight unjust laws like the so-called travel or “Muslim” ban and lawsuits by the federal government to impair or attack Connecticut laws to protect immigrants. A Harassment-Free Workplace Reproductive Freedom Workers’ Rights and the Right to Organize Like Attorneys General Blumenthal and Jepsen, William will use the Attorney General’s office and its platform to oppose Right to Work legislation. He will support labor organizing efforts, and use his relationships and experience as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a state legislator to support: A law to ban “Captive Audience” meetings to prevent workers from organizing; A $15 minimum wage; Policies that advance steady, full-time jobs with benefits instead of temporary or part-time work; Paid family and medical leave. Civil Rights As Attorney General, William will leverage his relationships in the legislature and executive branch to strengthen our state’s civil rights laws and protections, and vigorously defend all Connecticut residents when our rights and liberties are at risk. Crumbling Foundations As Attorney General, William will continue to investigate the causes of crumbling foundations and the failure of any responsible parties to help families who are at risk of losing their homes. Net Neutrality As Attorney General, William will continue Attorney General Jepsen's participation in this lawsuit and join any further actions that keeps the internet open and free from additional restrictions and corporate influence. [13] |
” |
| —William Tong’s campaign website (2018)[14] | ||
Campaign advertisements
The following is an example of an ad from Tong's 2018 election campaign.
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Political career
Attorney general of Connecticut (2019-present)
Tong is the 25th attorney general of Connecticut. He was elected in November 2018 and assumed office on January 9, 2019.
Connecticut House of Representatives (2007-2019)
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Connecticut committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Environment |
| • Judiciary, Co-chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Tong served on the following committees:
| Connecticut committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Environment |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Tong served on the following committees:
| Connecticut committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Banks, Chair |
| • Energy and Technology |
| • Judiciary |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Tong served on these committees:
| Connecticut committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Banks, Co-Chair |
| • Energy and Technology |
| • Judiciary |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Tong served on these committees:
| Connecticut committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Energy and Technology, Co-Chair |
| • Banks |
| • General Law |
| • Judiciary |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Connecticut scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2018
In 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 7 to May 9.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 4 through June 7. The legislature held a veto session on July 24. The legislature held its first special session on July 31. The legislature held its second special session from September 14 to September 16. The legislature held another special session on October 3. State lawmakers held their fourth special session from October 25 to October 26. The legislature met again in special session from November 14 to November 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 3 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from May 12-13 to pass the state budget.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 7 through June 3.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 5 to May 7.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 9 to June 5. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2013. If you are aware of one, please contact [email protected] to let us know. |
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 8 to May 9.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate Attorney General of Connecticut |
Officeholder Attorney General of Connecticut |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ William Tong for Senate, "William Tong's Story" accessed March 5, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Election Night Reporting, 2016 General Election," accessed December 14, 2016
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official primary and general election results," accessed November 26, 2014
- ↑ William Tong Campaign Website, accessed September 2, 2011
- ↑ Roll Call, "Connecticut Senate Hopeful William Tong Announces Big-League Campaign Hires," accessed January 4, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed June 19, 2012
- ↑ CBS Connecticut, "2012 Primary Results," August 14, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 21, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "CT House official election results for 2008," November 5, 2008
- ↑ District 147 Connecticut House candidate funds, 2008
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ William Tong for Attorney General, “Issues,” accessed October 1, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Attorney General of Connecticut 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Connecticut House of Representatives District 147 2007-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
