Zullo Endorsed By State Independent Party

EAST HAVEN, CT —State Rep. Joe Zullo (R, 99) said the Independent Party of Connecticut has endorsed his candidacy for re-election in the 99th assembly district. Zullo said the move paves the way for his appearance on both the Republican and Independent Party lines on the Nov. 3 ballot.

“I’m proud to be endorsed for re-election by both the Republican and Independent parties and I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of our great district, of the Town of East Haven, and of the entire State,” Zullo said in a statement.

Zullo was elected last February in a special election to fill a vacancy in the 99th assembly district, taking 54% of the vote by a margin of 1,658 to 1,408. Following his swearing-in, he was appointed to serve on the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Housing Committee. In February, he was elevated by his caucus to serve as "ranking member" on the State's Housing Committee, a role in which he introduced concept legislation to re-tool and refocus the State's affordable housing regulations.

“Since being elected, I've taken a bipartisan, open-minded approach to solving the State's problems, reaching across the aisle to tackle problems like rising taxes, affordable housing, and the opioid crisis," Zullo said. "The Independent Party’s goal of non-partisan problem-solving matches that approach. Quite frankly, it's an approach we need to foster more often if we want to continue being successful in the fight against COVID-19 and if we want to get our state’s economy firing on all cylinders.”

The Independent Party of Connecticut is the third-largest political party in Connecticut and has endorsed several candidates across the state this year. Zullo also received the Independent Party's endorsement in the February 2019 special election.

"As I told Independent Party leaders when I received their endorsement in 2019, our State's problems are not partisan problems," Zullo said. "They are challenges which affect us all regardless of our political affiliation and which require and deserve bipartisan solutions. I believe government works best when we all work together and, if re-elected, I'm committed to continuing to work collaboratively with everyone in the legislature and with our State and local leaders."

Zullo said he intends to raise his voice on a projected two-year budget deficit that tops $2 billion, he said.

"If re-elected, I'm ready to weigh in on the budget conversation and to express a strong opposition to expanding taxes, especially on working-class families and small businesses who are already heavily taxed and who now face additional burdens because of the COVID-19 crisis," he said.