Stratford Election Results: Young Leads In Close State Rep. Race

UPDATED 11:20 p.m. Tuesday: State Rep. Joe Gresko had more than twice as many votes as his opponent Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the secretary of the state.

With all precincts reporting, but about 2,000 absentee ballots still outstanding, Gresko, of the 121st House District, had 6,792 votes, compared to Republican Ed Scinto's 3,064.

UPDATED 11:01 p.m. Tuesday: Incumbent state Rep. Phil Young, a Democrat, is leading in a rematch for the 120th House District against Republican Jim Feehan.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the secretary of the state show Young with 6,454 votes to Feehan's 6,122. Both candidates said they are waiting until all absentee ballots are counted Thursday before making any assumptions.

"We did very well at the polls, but I think the absentee ballots are really going to go for Phil's way," Feehan said. "... I think it's going to be close."

Young, who defeated Feehan two years ago by a mere 13 votes, said he had no plans to declare victory Tuesday.

"I'm very, very happy, and satisfied that I ran an issues-oriented campaign," he said.

STRATFORD, CT — As the polls close and the votes are counted, Tuesday night marks a rematch for two Stratford candidates who in 2018 ran against one another in an extremely close race that was marred by a ballot mistake.

State Rep. Phil Young, a Democrat, and former Town Council chairman Jim Feehan, a Republican, are vying for the 120th House District seat. Young defeated Feehan two years ago by a mere 13 votes, but the results were called into question after more than 70 voters in the district mistakenly received ballots for the 122nd House District on Election Day.

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

Tonight, Young and Feehan face off again after the question of how to address the 2018 mistake lingered throughout Young’s first full term in office.

“I'm proud of my record,” Young said in a Patch candidate questionnaire. “I run a clean campaign and don't tell mistruths about my opponent's record.”

Feehan in the questionnaire cited his experience on Stratford’s Town Council, Board of Education, Water Pollution Control Authority, and as a fire lieutenant.

“I support our police and my opponent voted against them on HB 6004,” he said.

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

• Election Results: Keep Up-To-Date On Every Race In CT
• CT Presidential Election Results: Donald Trump Vs. Joe Biden
• CT Election Results: 5 Congressional House Races Up For Grabs

The 120th House District was again involved in a ballot mistake earlier this election cycle, when residents of an apartment complex and a separate small street in the 121st House District received ballots for the 120th House District. Election officials were working last week to correct the error.

Running in the 121st House District are state Rep. Joe Gresko, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Ed Scinto, a longtime member of various town commissions.

In the 122nd House District, state Rep. Ben McGorty, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Jose Goncalves.

State Sen. Kevin Kelly, a Republican representing the 21st Senatorial District, is unopposed, but 23rd Senatorial District incumbent state Sen. Dennis Bradley, a Democrat, will face off against Josiah Israel.

Locally, there are three candidates running for registrar of voters: Republican incumbent Lou DeCilio, Democrat James Simon, and Rick Marcone, the current Democrat registrar, who was defeated in an August primary election and is running as a petitioning candidate.

The following are the key contested races that will be on the ballot for Stratford voters:

President/Vice President

Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)

Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) - Incumbent

Jo Jorgensen and Chip Cohen (Libertarian)

Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker (Green Party)

U.S. Congress

U.S. House District 3

Rosa DeLauro (Democrat) - Incumbent

Margaret Streicker (Republican)

Justin C. Paglino (Green Party)

Local State Senate Race

21st Senatorial District

Kevin Kelly (Republican) - Incumbent

23rd Senatorial District

Dennis Bradley (Democrat) - Incumbent

Josiah Israel (Republican)

Local State Representative Races

120th House District

Philip Young (Democrat) - Incumbent

Jim Feehan (Republican)

121st House District

Joseph Gresko (Democrat) - Incumbent

Edward Scinto (Republican)

122nd House District

Jose Goncalves (Democrat)

Ben McGorty (Republican) - Incumbent

Registrar of Voters

James Simon (Democrat)

Louis DeCilio (Republican) - Incumbent

Richard Marcone (Petitioning candidate)