Darien Election Results 2016: Incumbents Roll to Victory

DARIEN, CT— Democrat incumbent Bob Duff won over Republican Greg Ehlers in the senate race, according to the Norwalk Hour.

The district covers Darien and Norwalk.

Democrat State Sen. Carlo Leone kept his seat from challenger Dr. Gino Bottino, according to the Stamford Advocate.

State Rep. William Tong won his unopposed seat and State Rep. Terrie Wood beat Democrat challenger Randy Klein, according to the Darien Times.

To read about the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut and the five congressional races see this related story: Connecticut Election 2016: What You Need to Know

25th Senate District

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff will face off against Darien businessman Greg Ehlers in the 25th senate district, which covers Darien and Norwalk.

Duff is a fifth-generation Norwalk resident and is seeking his sixth term. He previously served one term in the state House of Representatives.

Outside of politics Duff has been a real estate professional with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty for 21 years.

Duff is an advocate for reliable transportation systems, affordable housing and a well-educated workforce, according to his campaign website. He said the state budget is balanced without resorting to a tax hike.

It is the first time Ehlers is running for elected office.

He called Duff the, "...principal architect of failed policies that are destroying business, hurting the middle class and driving working people to other states.”

He came to Darien in 2001 and said since then the state’s environment has become more anti-business due to greater regulations and large tax increases.

27th Senate District

Democrat Sen. Carlo Leone and challengers Republican Dr. Gino Bottino and Green Party candidate Cora Santaguida will face off in the 27th district race.

Leone has been a Stamford resident for more than 30 years and has represented the district since 2011. He was previously a state representative in Stamford dating back to 2003.

He is deputy president pro tempore of the senate and chair of the general law committee. Leone has championed economic development programs including the Small Business Express Program, the Job Expansion Tax Credit and the STEP-UP job training and employment program, according to his senate biography.

Outside of politics he is a U.S. Air Force veteran and worked at Xerox Corp for 17 years.

Bottino is a board certified internist, hematologist and oncologist specializing in cancer and infertility. He teaches at New York Medical College as an adjunct professor.

Some of the main issues facing the state are a poor economy, jobs and budget issues, he said, according to the Stamford Advocate. He added that the district doesn’t get a fair share of the money it sends to Hartford.

Santaguida is co-chair of the Green Party of Connecticut Fairfield County Chapter and is working toward a master’s degree in public health. She is also a justice of the peace and the volunteer coordinator for the Green Party Jill Stein campaign in Connecticut.

She said she supports a local economy, is against high stakes testing and wants to reexamine the use of police in schools, according to her campaign website.

147th District

State Rep. William Tong is running unopposed in the 147th district and is now in his fifth term.

141st House District

Republican incumbent Terrie Wood will run against Democrat challenger Randy Klein in the 141st house race.

Wood seeks to have long-term structural budget change in Hartford and to return the state to a business-friendly environment, according to her campaign website.

Prior to running for office would had careers in advertising and photography and starred in many national commercials. She is a co-founder of the Darien Environmental Group, served as president of the Darien Land Trust and has served in other various capacities throughout Darien.

Klein is a 26-year Darien resident and owners Drivers Unlimited, a limousine and driver service for the tri-state area. He was chairman of the Darien Democratic Town Committee for three years.

He is running on a platform to reform Tier 1 state pensions, freeze state employee wages and reform benefits and cap the governor’s bonding authority, according to his campaign website.

To help grow businesses he is seeking a hotline for new and growing businesses to help navigate state and local regulations among other initiatives.

He is in support of a transportation fund lockbox and increased funding for trains.