Tolland County Election Results For State Races

Chris Dehnel
Updated ·5 min read

CONNECTICUT — UPDATE: As of 1:46 a.m. Wednesday — Polls closed at 8 p.m. in Tolland County for the 2020 election. Voters cast their ballots either in person or via absentee ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the longtime incumbents appeared to have kept their seats, but a shift on power was once against felt in the 53rd state House of Representatives district.

Going into the election, Democrats held majorities in both the state House and Senate. There are 22 Democratic legislators and 14 Republicans in the Senate and 91 Democrats to 60 Republicans in the House.

(The votes are currently being counted, continue to refresh this article for the latest updates. To receive free, real-time local and state election updates and results from Patch click here.)

Stay on top of all the returns from across Connecticut and our five congressional districts by checking these stories:

Connecticut's politics in 2021 will already be different regardless of the election results. Three out of four of the General Assembly caucus leaders didn’t seek re-election this year. House Republican Leader Themis Klarides and Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano announced earlier this year they wouldn’t seek re-election.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz announced in 2018 that the two-year term would be his last. He won re-election by a narrow margin in 2018.

Republicans made some gains in both chambers in 2016 and had evenly split the Senate with Democrats. However, 2018’s election shifted 12 seats in the House and five in the Senate from red to blue.

Lines in the county Tuesday were long early and several polling places had lines of voters wrapped around the sides of buildings at 6 a.m.

At Vernon's Rockville high school, more than 100 voters formed a line that snaked its way halfway around the building, but about 300 made their way through the polls in the first hour, thanks to extra voting stations and a quick working cleaning crew.

For comparison Rockville High School Athletic Director Jeff Farrell said he was in line for about 40 minutes once the polls opened in his hometown of Cheshire.

Inclement weather did not seem to deter voters from heading out early. A light rain covered the northern portion of the state until about 7:30 a.m. Pat Wilson Pheanious, the Democratic candidate for the state House 53rd District seat, said it was snowing in Ashford when she went to the polls at 6 a.m.

The rain then gave way to wind, but it did not deter voters from waiting outside in Tolland.
Vernon resident Shelby Jones said a little drizzle and chill took a back seat to the inconvenience.

"It's important to get out here and vote," Jones said. "This is probably the most important election in years. We're in a crossroads, both socially and politically and we need to vote."
Injuries did not keep voters out of the game either. Vernon resident Michelle Royce voted just after Jones while on crutches after a recent knee injury.

"Of course I'm voting," Royce said. "I've never missed and election."
At the University of Connecticut, virtual and/or in-person election watch parties were set up all over campus. A Student Union event was being offered live, coordinated by the Undergraduate Student Government and at virtual event was also on tap, coordinated by UConn Residential Life.

Here are the results of the Connecticut state Senate and House races in Tolland County as reported to the secretary of the state:

Office: State Senator 03

(17 of 17 precincts reporting)

  • Saud Anwar, Democratic Party: 31,870

  • Saud Anwar, Working Families Party: 3,384

Office: State Senator 04

(18 of 18 precincts reporting)

  • Steve Cassano, Democratic Party: 28,991

  • Matthew M. Corey, Republican Party: 20,006

  • Harold S. Harris, Independent Party: 763

  • Steve Cassano, Working Families Party: 1,149

  • Kelly Elizabeth Green, Reclaim Party: 769

Office: State Senator 07

(13 of 14 precincts reporting)

  • Frederick A. Moffa, Democratic Party: 20,098

  • John A. Kissel, Republican Party: 24,132

  • John A. Kissel, Independent Party: 1,526

  • Frederick A. Moffa, Working Families Party: 1,091

Office: State Senator 19

( 20 of 20 precincts reporting)

  • Catherine A. Osten, Democratic Party: 24,212

  • Steve Weir, Republican Party: 21,557

  • William H. Russell, Independent Party: 871

  • Catherine A. Osten, Working Families Party: 1,379

Office: State Senator 35

(21 of 21 precincts reporting)

  • Lisa Thomas, Democratic Party: 26,134

  • Dan Champagne, Republican Party: 28,815

  • Lisa Thomas, Independent Party: 1,161

  • Lisa Thomas, Working Families Party: 993

Office: State Representative 08

(5 of 5 precincts reporting)

  • Brenda Falusi, Democratic Party: 5,856

  • Timothy Ackert, Republican Party: 9,118

Office: State Representative 50

(4 of 5 precincts reporting)

  • Pat Boyd, Democratic Party: 6,037

Office: State Representative 52

(4 of 4 precincts reporting)

  • Greg Post, Democratic Party: 3,929

  • Kurt Vail, Republican Party: 7,171

  • Kurt Vail, Independent Party: 395

  • Greg Post, Working Families Party: 205

Office: State Representative 53

(4 of 4 precincts reporting)

  • Pat Wilson Pheanious, Democratic Party: 6,395

  • Tammy Nuccio, Republican Party: 6,767

  • Tammy Nuccio, Independent Party: 399

  • Pat Wilson Pheanious, Working Families Party: 299

Office: State Representative 54

(3 of 3 precincts reporting)

  • Gregg Haddad, Democratic Party: 4,417

  • Gregg Haddad, Working Families Party: 482

Office: State Representative 55

(4 of 4 precincts reporting)

  • John Collins, Democratic Party: 7,099

  • Robin Green, Republican Party: 7,466

  • Salvatore V. Sena Jr., Petitioning Candidate: 648

Office: State Representative 56

(3 of 3 precincts reporting)

  • Michael Winkler, Democratic Party: 6,629

  • Laura B. Bush, Republican Party: 4,809

  • Laura B. Bush, Independent Party: 242

  • Michael Winkler, Working Families Party: 245

Office: State Representative 57

(4 of 4 precincts reporting)

  • Jaime Foster, Democratic Party: 7,143

  • David E. Stavens, Republican Party: 6,680

  • Jaime Foster, Independent Party: 272

  • Jaime Foster, Working Families Party 212

This article originally appeared on the Tolland Patch