Keeping Connecticut Grounded: Why This Race Should be About Hartford, Not Washington

My name is Amybeth Laroche, and I'm running for State Senate in the 28th District.

Before this campaign is over, some of you may hear that I'm "secretly this", "tied to that", or somehow defined by whatever national controversy is dominating the news. I want to address that: I am not running because of national politics, and this race should not be reduced to Washington talking points.

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There is a familiar political tactic: denying the conduct being questioned, attacking the person raising it, reversing the roles of victim and offender, and then redirect attention elsewhere. It is often called DARVO. Gaslighting and "look over here" distractions can serve the same purpose, moving attention away from the decisions and records voters should be examining.

That is all relevant in Connecticut because the decisions affecting property taxes, zoning, energy policy, education, and many other state issues are made in Hartford. Democrats currently hold a 25-11 majority in the State Senate and a 102-49 supermajority in the House, and Connecticut has had unified Democratic control of the governorship and both legislative chambers since 2011. The state Senate has been Democratic-controlled since the 1997 session, aside from an 18-18 tie following the 2016 election.

My opponent previously served as Governor Ned Lamont's communications director and, in April 2026, moved to a senior adviser role on Lamont's reelection campaign. I do not work for the Governor or answer to a political administration.

That's the backdrop I want you to judge this race against, not the noise. So let me tell you plainly what I'd actually spend my time on in Hartford, because I think that matters more than any label.

I'd fight for real local control over how our towns grow. A state law called 8-30g lets developers bypass local zoning entirely once a project sets aside 30 percent of its units as income-restricted, regardless of whether the town has an actual documented housing need. Fairfield's own Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously against a project this year, and a judge in Hartford overruled them anyway. Towns should have a say in their own development, not a rubber stamp a state formula can override whenever it wants.

I'd push for Hartford to actually be held accountable for what it costs you to live here. When electric rates go up, or property taxes climb again, the explanation from Hartford is almost always that it's somebody else's fault: global markets, federal policy, anything but the decisions made right here. That's why when I get to Hartford, I want to push for an annual taxpayer receipt: a plain, written accounting that goes out to every household once a year showing exactly where your state tax dollars went, department by department, in language a regular person can actually read without a finance degree. There shouldn't just be a summary buried on some government website nobody visits (Did you even know that existed? I didn't until running). It should be something that shows up the same way any other bill does, except this one is accountability instead of a charge. If a business took your money without ever showing you what it was used for, you'd stop doing business with them. I don't see why the state government should get a pass that nobody else would.

So if this race suddenly becomes about Washington, personalities, labels, or national outrage, ask a simple question: what Connecticut issue are we no longer discussing?

I want this campaign focused on Hartford, the record of those in power, and the decisions that affect families in Bethel, Easton, Fairfield, and Newtown.