CT 34th Senate District Election Results: Cicarella Wins Seat

UPDATE: (This story was updated at 10:45 p.m.) Republican Paul Cicarella has won the race to replace longtime state Senator Len Fasano in the 34th District, which represents East Haven, Wallingford and parts of Durham and North Haven.

Cicarella defeated Democrat April Capone, a former East Haven mayor.

Capone conceded the race late Tuesday night and expressed gratitude that each campaign “remained focused on the issues facing residents of the 34th district, and extended gratitude to the state and town election officials, and poll workers, who worked tirelessly to deliver accurate results in a year with unprecedented Absentee Ballot turnout,” according to a news release.

“Our nation has endured four years of divisive, vitriolic politics, and Connecticut voters are tired of it,” Capone said in a statement. “From the beginning of this campaign, I was committed to focusing on the issues instead of resorting to personal attacks, and I'm so glad that Paul and I were able to maintain that principle until the very end of this race.

"I am proud to have worked tirelessly for the voters of the 34th district every day for the past six months, and respect the results reported tonight. I know that our town election officials worked diligently to provide timely and accurate counts, and I want to join the rest of the district in congratulating Senator-Elect Cicarella."

Capone, a small business owner and Manager of Yale New Haven Health's Center for Living Organ Donors, said she remains committed to fighting for affordable and accessible healthcare, tax equity for working families, and building a strong post-COVID economy for Connecticut.

(Original post) NORTH HAVEN, CT — Voters went to the polls Tuesday to decide who will replace longtime state Senator Len Fasano in the 34th District, which represents East Haven, Wallingford and parts of Durham and North Haven.

The race features former East Haven Mayor April Capone, a Democrat, and Republican Paul Cicarella. Fasano, the Senate Republican leader, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election to a 10th term.

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

Cicarella, who owns a private investigative firm with multiple offices throughout the state, said the most important challenge facing Connecticut is affordability.

“We need to make our state an affordable place to live,” Cicarella told Patch. “We cannot continue to allow the state to lose tomorrow's leaders and talent because the state is too expensive to live, work and raise a family in. Now more than ever we need a new generation of leadership to help rebuild our state's economy and get people back to work.

“I love the state of Connecticut and the local community. I grew up here and I am raising my family here. I chose to operate and invest in a small business here. I want my children to have the same opportunities as I did and grow up to love this state and be as proud of this region as much as I am. We need to address the real-life challenges that working and middle-class families face every day and provide a place to call home and be proud of. We need to create opportunity here in Connecticut for young professionals to live and work. We need to support law enforcement and keep our communities safe. We must keep our promises to those most in need and create opportunity for all families, workers, and job creators to succeed.”

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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Capone lists her top priorities as economic growth, financial recovery, support for families, health security and education initiatives, according to her website.

“I understand the struggles that families face each day,” Capone said in a post on the site. “I am proud of my record fighting to make people's lives better and I am ready to continue the fight for you as your State Senator.”

After serving as East Haven mayor from 2007 to 2011, Capone served as the manager of Intergovernmental Affairs at the State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management where she served as municipal liaison between state government and all 169 towns and cities. In 2016, she joined the team at Yale New Haven Hospital to launch the Center for Living Organ Donors where she currently works to fulfill the center’s mission of supporting the long-term health and well-being of all YNHH living donors, according to her campaign site.

Cicarella said his accomplishments in his law enforcement career and launching his own business show he can handle the state senator position.

“I started an investigative firm in one small room in my home,” Cicarella told Patch. “I grew that firm into a large corporation with multiple employees and offices throughout the state. As part of my day to day operations I analyze client's problems and develop strategies to solve those problems. I see adversity as a challenge that must be met with a common sense solutions and I will work as long and as hard as it takes to work through that adversity and achieve an outcome that will be beneficial to all of the people of the 34th District.”

Capone believes a state senator has three jobs that her “professional and personal life experiences make her uniquely qualified for.”

According to her campaign website, they are:

• Read and understand the bills that come before you and vote in the best interests of your constituents.
• Be the chief lobbyist for your district, making sure that resources in the way of dollars come back to support the district.
• Work with individual constituents to help them cut through red tape when interacting with state agencies.