Candidate Profile: Chad Cardillo, 83rd State House District

MERIDEN, CT — The 2026 election is heating up in Connecticut, and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Eyes are primarily focused on the Connecticut gubernatorial election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats are up for grabs as well.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Chad Cardillo, 38, of Meriden, is running for election to the House of Representatives in the 83rd District, representing Berlin, Cheshire, and Meriden.

Party:

Democratic (cross-endorsed by Working Families Party & Independent Party)

Campaign website:

https://chadcardillo.com

Occupation:

Social Studies Teacher, Maloney High School

Family:

Husband, Justin

Does anyone in your family work in government?

Self- Meriden city council

Previous public office:

Elected Meriden City Council At-Large (2021; 2023-present); Appointed Meriden Planning Commission 2022-2023

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running because I see every day that too many families are being squeezed and government hasn’t kept up with the challenges they face. As a public school teacher, I see how rising costs, an unfair tax burden, and underfunded schools make it harder for families to keep up, never mind get ahead. We need practical and responsible leadership that puts working families first, invests in strong public schools, and makes sure everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed.

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

The cost of living is affecting every single family in Connecticut. Groceries cost more than ever and with winter coming up, families will be facing an extremely hard choice to heat their homes or put food on the tables. The state has set aside millions of our tax dollars in a fund to help families make ends meet due to the economic instability caused by the federal government. We need to make sure that we're doing two things: first, responding to immediate needs by ensuring that families who are struggling have access to help paying for heat and food, but secondly also making sure that in the long term working-class families are provided tax relief both at the state and local level.

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

The state government has the ability to regulate public utilities like electricity. We need to expand production of reliable energy in Connecticut, both by using the existing system but also investing in alternative energy production. We need to look at short-term as well as long-term: more access to natural gas to power our current power plants, ensure that our nuclear power production stays viable and be open to new safer nuclear technologies, and ensure that renewable energy production is available to all customers (for example by allowing more individual choice over access to things like small-scale solar panels or local microgrids). Private, investor-owned utilities also need to realize that their most important responsibility should be to customers and ratepayers who rely on reliable power for every part of their lives.

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

Though the state government cannot solve all the macroeconomic issues that are causing families to struggle to make ends meet, we in CT can work in a few areas. First, we need to make sure that the state is helping towns and cities by reducing "unfunded mandates"; that is, regulations that cost municipalities like infrastructure upgrades that they either have to pay for or face fines. Those mandates need to come with state funding so that local property taxpayers aren't overly burdened, such as through a process of sharing the state sales tax collected in a town with that town to pay for these projects. Second, we have to start allowing municipalities to work together more efficiently in things like bulk purchasing or use personnel expertise across town lines. Another way that local taxpayers are burdened is by the outdated Education Cost Sharing formula the state uses. There is currently a commission looking into how that can work better, but the legislature has to ensure that real, proactive steps are taken from their recommendations to smooth out the sometimes high cost of certain services across the state.

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

As an elected Meriden City Councilor, local union leader, and nonprofit board member, I have built extensive relationships with local, state, and federal officials across Connecticut from many projects and initiatives I have been a part of. Just last year, I was part of a group of local leaders that were successful in advocating for millions more dollars for school districts across the state to help ensure teachers would remain in classrooms and schools would remain open. Through this work, Meriden, Cheshire, and Berlin schools collectively received over $9.2 million in additional funding. In Meriden, this allowed Thomas Hooker Elementary School to remain open, keep class sizes down, and provide additional support for our students with the highest levels of need. I have also worked over the years with our federal delegation to receive help in funding infrastructure projects to repair Meriden's reservoirs, renovate our public library, continue flood control work, and build a new public safety communications center. My goal as an elected official is to work with anyone at any level of government to benefit the people I represent. I have been doing that for years already in Meriden, and would bring that same work ethic and drive to helping all of the residents of the 83rd district along with residents of all three towns in the district.

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

As a lifelong resident of the 83rd district and public servant, my priority is and will always be the people of this district and our towns. I have been endorsed by 3 political parties (Democratic, Independent, and Working Families) which shows that I am committed to hearing from and working with people of diverse backgrounds and points of view in the legislative process. I have also been an elected official who isn't afraid to talk to people and their concerns, and work with them to find solutions. The problems we're facing in Connecticut and in the country are indeed complex and cannot be solved overnight. However, I know that the solutions to these problems can't happen if we all don't work together with the sincere goal of making life better for the greatest number of people. My commitment is to never lose sight of the reason why I got involved in politics in the first place: to be an advocate for the people of my community.

See also: Candidate Profile: Bob Ham, 83rd State House District