Fazio, Simmons Earn Party Nominations In 36th State Senate District Race

NEW CANAAN, CT — Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio and Democratic challenger Nick Simmons were nominated by their parties Tuesday night in the race for the 36th State Senate District, which encompasses all of Greenwich, most of New Canaan and a part of Stamford.

Fazio, who was first elected to office in a special election in 2021 and narrowly won re-election in 2022 over Democrat Trevor Crow, accepted the nomination at Greenwich Town Hall.

Nominating speeches were given by Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, and New Canaan First Selectman Dionna Carlson.

"In just the last two years, I co-authored a historic energy reform law that provides some of the strongest consumer protections against the electric utilities in the country while paving a way to limit future energy cost increases," Fazio said in a news release.

"I co-authored a major expansion of birth control access for women in our state. I fought for tax cuts and limits on the size of state government. And this year, I introduced and passed one of the only victories for local control of our municipalities in a decade — returning basic rights to decide local zoning and charter changes to our local communities where they belong.”

Fazio is the ranking senator on the legislature’s Energy & Technology Committee and Planning & Development Committee. He also serves on the Transportation Committee and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

He previously served on the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, and works at a growth equity firm that invests in medium-sized businesses and advises their management to help them grow, according to his official bio.

"I will listen to everyone, I will work with anyone, and I will never forget that as your state senator, I am the one who works for you and not the other way around. That is my promise to you," Fazio added. "Thank you for the trust you’ve placed in me. I am honored to be your senator and your candidate for another term. Now let’s get to work."

Democratic delegates convened on Zoom Tuesday night to endorse Simmons, a Stamford resident, and the younger brother of Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons.

Last month, Crow ended her campaign for the seat, paving the way for Simmons to be nominated.

"I’m extremely proud – and thankful – for the chance to represent Connecticut’s 36th district," Simmons said in a news release. "I want to extend my gratitude to the Democratic Committees of Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan. I have immense pride in being born and raised in this district, and I’m fighting to make sure the opportunities I had growing up here are available to everyone for generations to come."

At the age of 23, Simmons left a career on Wall Street to become a seventh-grade math teacher in Harlem, N.Y. He then went on to earn a master's in public policy and an MBA from Harvard and returned to Connecticut to join the Lamont Administration where he worked for three years, according to his bio.

In 2021, Simmons was tapped to serve as a senior advisor in the Biden Administration, where he helped oversee the effort to reopen schools nationwide during COVID-19.

Simmons' platform focuses on growing the economy, keeping taxes low, investing in community infrastructure, and fighting for reproductive rights and common sense gun laws.

The 36th State Senate District seat has traditionally been red, but Alex Kasser beat incumbent Republican Scott Frantz in 2018 to become the first Democrat to win the district since 1933.

Kasser resigned in June 2021, setting up the special election that Fazio won in August of that year