Both parties have held their conventions and formally nominated their candidates for State Senator and State Representative for Stafford, and it seems our incumbents have challengers. We hope to talk with each of the candidates before election day, but as we work to coordinate that, we thought it was important to introduce the candidates sooner rather than later. Here’s the basics!
State Senator for CT’s 35th District
(Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, and Woodstock)
Challenger - Merry C. Garrett (D)
At the recent Democratic Convention at Sun Valley Resort, Merry C. Garrett accepted the party’s nomination. She has resided in Tolland for over two decades but started out in the tobacco fields of East Windsor, according to her website. The site also tells us, “Her priorities reflect those of the people of the 35th District, including protecting a woman’s right to choose, reducing taxes for the middle class and seniors, ensuring our schools receive their fair share of state funding, and addressing the current housing crisis through affordable homeownership while maintaining the beauty of our towns.”
These topics should sound familiar to Stafford Free Press readers, as we often cover the underfunding of the state “Excess Cost Reimbursement” program and how it impacts schools, the ongoing affordable housing crisis, and, of course, budget concerns.
Garret is a retired Director of Regulatory Insurance Technology and a former small business owner. According to The Patch, during Garrett’s speech at the convention, “She also emphasized the need for more state funding to help Northeastern towns balance their strained budgets without more school cuts or mill rate increases.”
Incumbent – Dr. Jeff Gordon (R)
Senator Jeff Gordon, a hematologist and oncologist, was elected to his first term in 2022. During his tenure, he has served on the Public Health, Public Safety and Security, and Appropriations committees. He is also a ranking member of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Gordon also serves on the Conservation and Development, Elementary and Secondary Education, Health, and Higher Education subcommittees.
Gordon’s website offers a lot of information about his tenure in the Senate, but when I asked him about his biggest accomplishments, he pointed to income tax cuts, stopping scheduled cuts to public school funding, and reducing barriers to patient care. For more on Gordon's bid for re-election, read our article.
State Representative for CT's 52nd District
(Somers, Stafford, Union, and Woodstock)
Challenger – Ethan Werstler (D)
The Democrats have nominated Ethan Werstler run for the 52nd District. Werstler, who graduated from UCONN in 2022, works as a Government Relations Coordinator for Rome, Smith, Lutz, & Kowalski (or the Kowalski Group), which provides legislative and administrative lobbying support. Werstler also worked as a campaign field organizer for the Connecticut Democratic Party.
It’s also worth noting that Werstler is part of a slate of Gen Z candidates looking to challenge incumbents and the status quo at the Capitol.
Incumbent – Kurt Vail (R)
Representative Kurt Vail was elected to his fifth term in 2022. According to the bio on his website, Vail “currently is an agent for Paradiso Insurance.” However, The Patch reported during the 2023 Board of Selectmen campaign that Vail is a sales representative at Longview RV.
Vail has served as the Ranking Member of the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee and on the legislature’s Aging, Commerce, and Public Safety committees. Additionally, he serves on Stafford’s Board of Selectmen. His website lists his accomplishments as focusing “on issues impacting the district, including a brownfield remediation package to rectify the blighted Somersville Mill. He also engaged with members of the community in order to combat the rising opioid addiction crisis by meeting with Somers and Stafford police authorities, hospital administrators, and emergency services first responders. He went on to co-sponsor legislation that created a mechanism for the community’s first responders to gain easier access to drug-overdose reversal medication.”
More recently, he worked to pass “An Act Establishing a Property Tax Exemption for Veterans who Have a Service-Connected Permanent and Total Disability Rating.” Veterans who are fully disabled in connection with their services are fully exempted from a benefit that can be passed on to others in the residence if the disabled veteran dies. While several Republicans raised concerns over the lost revenue to small towns, it eventually passed unanimously.
All pictures are taken from the candidate's sites or social media posts.
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