Fazio wins special election to return Fairfield County Senate seat to Republicans

Republican Ryan Fazio’s victory in a special election to fill a vacant state Senate seat in Fairfield County won’t change the balance of power in the chamber, but his win gives Republicans a shot of momentum in the run-up to the 2022 campaign season, when the governor’s office and every seat in the legislature is up for reelection.

Bolstered by energized voters in staunch Republican parts of the district in Tuesday’s special election, Fazio beat Democrat Alexis Gevanter and petitioning candidate John Blankley.

Turnout was low: just 17,835 — or 26.7% — of the district’s 66,721 registered voters cast ballots, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of the State’s office.

But the win in Gov. Ned Lamont’s home senate district is the first Republican flip of a Democratic seat this year, a fact highlighted by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Twitter.

Fazio, who emphasized who emphasized taxes and public safety during the condensed campaign, said he is grateful to the voters and pledged to work hard for the district. He captured about 52% of the vote.

“Now the real work begins: It’s time to bring a positive change to our state gov’t and a brighter future for Connecticut,’’ he said.

The 36th Senate District had been held by Republicans since 1930. But in recent election cycles, it had been trending Democratic, buoyed larger by the unpopularity of Donald Trump among suburban voters. Democrat Alex Kasser won the seat in 2018 and President Joe Biden won the district by 25 percentage points in 2020.

Fazio, who narrowly lost to Kasser in November, ran an energetic campaign, buoyed by support from state Republican leaders and the Republican National Committee.

“We ran a vigorous campaign with a well-crafted message that Connecticut simply needs and deserves to do better,’’ said Ben Proto, the newly elected chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party.

The district, which includes all of Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan, opened up earlier this year when Kasser announced she was stepping down.

“We didn’t have much time to get our message out in this brief special election, but I am so proud of the campaign we built together and everything we did accomplish,” Gevanter said in a written statement. “Despite … disappointing results, my commitment to the very values that make our community the inclusive, kind, and caring place we are all proud to call home has never been stronger.”

Kevin Kelly, the Republican leader in the state Senate, congratulated Fazio on his win.

“CT Republicans’ better way is resonating with young people who want to better our state,” Kelly wrote on Twitter. “The next generation is standing up as Republicans, and as candidates, and they are not afraid to make their voices heard and advocate for change.”

Fairfield County, once solidly Republican, has shifted to purple as Democrats have made a series of gains especially through the Trump and Biden presidential elections. Biden won Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan in the 2020 election by over 33,000 votes, sweeping the three municipals with 61.4% of the votes in Greenwich, 68.1% in Stamford and 59.1% in New Canaan.

Democrats will hold a 23-13 advantage in the Senate following Fazio’s win.