CT 26th Senate District Election Results: Haskell Re-Elected

This story was updated at 12:54 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2020: Incumbent Democrat Will Haskell appeared to win re-election Tuesday after defeating Republican challenger Kim Healy for the 26th District seat, according to unofficial numbers from the Secretary of the State's office.

The district includes Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of New Canaan, Weston and Westport, and Haskell unofficially won in all of those communities except for New Canaan.

Haskell, who was seeking a second term, unofficially garnered 37,937 votes compared to Healy's 26,978 votes. Healy appeared on two ballot lines, Republican and Independent, which Haskell only appeared on the Democratic line.

In New Canaan, the only community Haskell lost, he unofficially received 2,547 votes to 2,918 votes for Healy.

He took to Facebook early Wednesday to thank his supporters and congratulate Healy on a hard-fought campaign.

"This victory would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our volunteers through these incredibly difficult times," Haskell wrote. "I could not be more excited to represent this community for another 2 years."

NEW CANAAN, CT — Voters cast their votes in Connecticut's 26th Senate District election Tuesday, which saw incumbent Democrat Will Haskell face off against Republican/Independent challenger Kim Healy.

The 26th District includes Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of New Canaan, Weston and Westport.

It was one of several races voters made decisions on Tuesday. In addition to the big presidential and congressional races, all state House of Representative and Senate seats were up for grabs in Connecticut.

(The votes are currently being counted and continue to refresh this article for updates as the night progresses. To sign up for free real-time election updates from Patch click here.)

Voting operated a bit different this year thanks to a law which allowed absentee ballot voting for all voters in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Haskell, a Westport resident, is seeking his second term. He defeated longtime incumbent Republican Toni Boucher in 2018.

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

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Among the issues Haskell believes is key for Connecticut is tackling the state's debt, a problem that he admits will take a long time to solve.

"Our state's biggest economic challenge is our fiscal instability," Haskell told Patch. "Overly generous state employee contracts from the 1970s and 1980s have saddled us with unfunded pension liabilities and mountains of debt. Since I've gotten to Hartford, I've worked with Republicans and Democrats to begin the slow, steady work of recovery."

To help tackle Connecticut's debt, Haskell supported lowering the headcount of state employees to levels not seen in years, and moving away from costly Tier 1 pensions for state employees in favor of 403(b), the public version of a 401(k).

He also authored and helped pass a bill that rewards state employees who feret out waste in their departments.

Healy, a former auditor at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, is a Wilton resident and treasurer of the Wilton Library Association.

She, too, said Connecticut's fiscal woes are serious and is holding the state back.

"Connecticut's primary challenge is affordability due to high taxation, regulations, and fiscal irresponsibility," Healy told Patch. "Too many Nutmeggers leave for lower-tax and lower cost of living states. A variety of policies brought us to this point, from unfunded pension liabilities to expensive labor contracts. I believe the outcome is the product of Democrat supermajority control for nearly 40 years in the legislature."

To climb out of the financial hole, she said the state "needs to borrow responsibly, fund its pension liabilities appropriately and reasonably, and make better choices with regard to its expenditures."