A special election is being held on Aug. 17 for District 36 of the Connecticut State Senate. Alexis Gevanter (D), Ryan Fazio (R), and John Blankley (I) are running in the general election. Candidates running for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions. The winner of the special election will serve until January 2023.
The seat became vacant after Alex Kasser (D) resigned effective June 22, citing her ongoing divorce proceedings as the reason for her resignation. Kasser had represented the district since 2019. She won re-election in 2020 with 51.4% of the vote.
Heading into the special election, Democrats have a 23-12 majority in the Connecticut Senate with one vacancy. Connecticut has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
As of August, 50 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 18 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Connecticut held 40 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.
Additional reading: