Candidate Profile: Julie Kushner, 24th State Senate District

DANBURY, CT — State Sen. Julie Kushner, a Democrat who has represented Connecticut's 24th Senate District since 2019, is seeking reelection in November.

Kushner, 74, is running against Republican Melissa Lindsey in the district, which includes Danbury and portions of New Fairfield and Ridgefield.

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A former director of United Auto Workers Region 9A, Kushner currently serves as Senate chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Kushner recently responded to Patch's candidate questionnaire, sharing her views on affordability, energy costs, health care and her legislative record.

Candidate's Name: Julie Kushner

What office are you seeking?

State Senator

Age: 74

District: 24th Senate District: Danbury and portions of New Fairfield and Ridgefield

Party: Democrat

Campaign website: https://www.juliekushnerforct.com

Occupation: State Senator; former Director of UAW Region 9A

Family: Married to Larry Morgan; mother of three and grandmother of four

Does anyone in your family work in government?

No

Previous public office:

State Senator, 24th District, since 2019. Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Why are you seeking this office?

I spent 42 years in the labor movement fighting to give working people a fair shot, and I've brought that same work to the Capitol for the people of Danbury, New Fairfield and Ridgefield. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together: paid family and medical leave, a higher minimum wage, an early childhood education endowment, and millions of dollars returned to our district through school funding, bonding and tax relief. But there is more work to do. Cuts coming out of Washington are hitting our neighbors right now, and our district needs someone with the experience and relationships to stand up for working families and keep delivering for our community.

What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

Affordability, and Washington is making it harder. Connecticut has lost an estimated $2 billion in federal funding, cut so Congress could pay for tax breaks that go overwhelmingly to billionaires and the wealthiest Americans. At the same time, Washington let health insurance subsidies lapse, and premiums for Connecticut families have soared. Senate Democrats created an emergency reserve to protect residents, but the state can't fill every hole on its own. We need to ask the ultra-wealthy, who can truly afford it, to pay their fair share so we can protect and expand the programs so many of our neighbors rely on: food assistance, heating assistance, child care and health care. We also need a health care system where no one's access to care depends on their job. That's why I support opening Connecticut's state health insurance plan to small businesses, nonprofits, and families who were priced out of Access Health CT, so every family has an affordable option no matter what Washington does.

Energy costs have been soaring in Connecticut. What are your plans to help address this issue?

Eversource is a regulated monopoly, and its CEO recently said the company "shut the faucet off" on Connecticut. It's time we shut the faucet off on executives who profit while our families struggle to pay their bills. PURA has done good work holding down rate increases, and this spring Eversource and UI residential rates actually came down. But many families aren't feeling that relief yet, so we have to go further. That means more power generation, including offshore wind projects like Revolution Wind, so we aren't at the mercy of volatile fuel prices. It also means taking a serious look at public power. Six Connecticut towns run their own electric utilities, and their customers typically pay less than those of us served by Eversource and UI. I want to know what it would take to bring that model to more communities.

Affordability has been a major topic across the country and here in Connecticut. How do you plan to address this issue?

For families in our district, affordability comes down to the monthly bills. In 2023, we passed the largest income tax cut in Connecticut history, aimed at working and middle-class families, and we've expanded tax relief for retirees. I want to keep building on that. Young people who grew up in Danbury, New Fairfield and Ridgefield are being priced out, so I'll keep pushing incentives for our towns to build housing that working families and seniors can actually afford. I'll keep lowering the tax burden on seniors and people on fixed incomes, so they can stay in their homes or downsize if they choose. And I'll keep investing in child care, so parents can go to work without paying what amounts to a second rent check for care.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I've represented the 24th District since 2019 and have chaired the Labor and Public Employees Committee since my very first session. I'm also Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, where our state budget is written. I wrote and passed Connecticut's Paid Family and Medical Leave law, which has now paid more than $1 billion in benefits to Connecticut workers. As Labor Chair, I helped lead the fight to raise our minimum wage, now the second highest statewide minimum wage in the country, and to expand paid sick days. This year I led passage of a major workers' rights bill and the first warehouse worker protections in New England. Before the Senate, I was elected by union members to lead UAW Region 9A, and I spent decades at the bargaining table winning raises, health care and child care for working families.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I joined the UAW in 1977 and spent my career organizing working people and negotiating on their behalf. I helped lead organizing drives and contract negotiations for support staff at Columbia University and for graduate employees and adjunct faculty at NYU and The New School. In Stamford, I helped organize taxi drivers, child care workers and municipal employees. At Foxwoods, I was chief negotiator for 2,500 table games dealers, and together we won a first-of-its-kind contract with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe under tribal law. In 2010, union members elected me Director of UAW Region 9A, representing more than 50,000 active and retired members across New England, New York and Puerto Rico. What I learned in every one of those rooms is that working people win when they stand together and someone at the table refuses to back down. That's the approach I bring to the Capitol for the families of Danbury, New Fairfield and Ridgefield.