Ryan Fazio Declares Victory In 36th State Senate District Race

GREENWICH, CT — After losing to former State Sen. Alex Kasser in the 36th State Senate District race in 2020, Republican Ryan Fazio is a winner in 2021.

Fazio declared victory in the special election for the seat at his campaign headquarters in Riverside on Tuesday night. Results were still unofficial as of Wednesday evening.

According to unofficial numbers from Secretary of State Denise Merrill, Fazio received 8,911 votes (50.12 percent), Democrat Alexis Gevanter tallied 8,459 votes (47.58 percent), and petition/unaffiliated candidate John Blankley scored just 408 votes (2.29 percent). All three candidates are Greenwich residents.

The 36th State Senate District covers all of Greenwich and a portion of Stamford and New Canaan. Kasser, a Democrat, suddenly resigned from her post in June, citing a difficult, ongoing divorce battle.

In 2018, Kasser defeated incumbent L. Scott Frantz to become the first Democrat to hold the 36th District seat since 1930. Kasser was re-elected in 2020, defeating Fazio in a closely contested race.

Fazio, 31, is a Greenwich native and a member of Greenwich's Representative Town Meeting. He has spent most of his career as a renewable energy and agriculture professional working in Stamford.

During the short campaign, the candidates separated themselves most on where they stand on Connecticut's economy and the path forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blankley and Gevanter painted more positive pictures of the state, referring to companies and residents moving into Connecticut in recent months. Fazio blamed Democratic leadership in Hartford for "economic stagnation" and high unemployment rates. He called on voters to elect change in Hartford.

On Wednesday morning, Fazio posted a statement on social media.

"I am grateful beyond words to Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan for the trust they have placed in me. I will work hard every day to validate the faith of my supporters and to earn that of those who did not vote for me. I love this community and will give my all to serve it faithfully," Fazio said on Facebook. "Yesterday the voters of our district sent a message to our state capitol: It’s time for a change. Our state and our district can do better than economic malaise, rising crime, centralization of power, and one-party rule. It is time to bring people together to solve the big challenges that face us and create hope for the future."

Fazio's toughest challenger in the race was Gevanter, a business attorney and gun violence prevention advocate. Her campaign issued a statement shortly before 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

"I entered this race because Connecticut is a great place to live, work and raise a family. I wanted to make it even better by doing what I’ve always done which is to listen, bring people together to find common ground, and deliver results. We didn’t have much time to get our message out in this brief special election, but I am so proud of the campaign we built together and everything we did accomplish," Gevanter said. "Despite tonight’s disappointing results, my commitment to the very values that make our community the inclusive, kind, and caring place we are all proud to call home has never been stronger."

Blankley released a statement on Wednesday, thanking residents for their support. Blankley also congratulated Fazio on his victory.

"My objective was to offer the voters of the 36th district a choice in who should represent them in Hartford. I have the skills and experience to do the job but above all I believe that it is the right of the people to decide who should be their senator. I felt strongly that partisan politics were obscuring the people’s purpose. And as I campaigned, I heard more and more that voters were looking for solutions and were tired of pointless political bickering," Blankley said. "This campaign should now be seen as an indication that there are voices that want to be heard and who are not properly represented by either of the major parties. I hope that my actions will inspire good people to step forward in the political process – a right afforded to all the people."

Voter turnout in Greenwich was high for a special election in August. According to unofficial numbers from the Greenwich Registrar of Voters live turnout tracker, 11,503 votes were cast in Greenwich out of 41,088 registered voters — a 28 percent turnout rate.

In 2020, Fazio received higher vote totals in New Canaan and Greenwich than Kasser, but Kasser was able to win thanks in part to large turnout in Stamford.