New Canaan Resident Announces Candidacy For State Senate

NEW CANAAN, CT — A former intern for Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Chris Murphy has launched a campaign to unseat an incumbent Republican state Senator.

Will Haskell, a New Canaan resident who grew up in Westport, is seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Toni Boucher for the 26th state Senate District, which encompasses both New Canaan and Westport, in addition to Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston and Wilton.

"Hartford isn’t working for the people of Connecticut," said Haskell in a statement. "If we want to live in a state with a thriving economy, we need leaders who are willing to work together and craft new solutions to address spiraling deficits."

Below is the full text of his announcement:

Today, Will Haskell, a New Canaan resident and Staples High School alum, announced that he is running for the Connecticut State Senate. Haskell, a Democrat, believes that Hartford badly needs new leadership. “Connecticut’s state government must rise to the challenge of protecting our community in the era of Donald Trump,” Haskell says, and he is ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to end decades of partisan infighting in Hartford.

“Hartford isn’t working for the people of Connecticut. If we want to live in a state with a thriving
economy, we need leaders who are willing to work together and craft new solutions to address
spiraling deficits.”

The Connecticut State Senate is the only state legislative body in the country that is tied between
Democrats and Republicans, creating a paralysis that only compounds our problems. “I want to
break that tie and move our state forward,” Haskell says. “The key to making our state attractive
to businesses is making it attractive to young people. That’s why we need to invest in faster
trains and safer roads. Moreover, we must insist on passing paid family leave in the next
legislative session.” Like so many of his neighbors in Fairfield County, Will is eager to turn the
page and begin an era of better government.

“I’m running to bring a new voice to the State Senate and protect our values and our community
from Donald Trump’s Washington,” Haskell says. Trump’s proposed budget would make
devastating cuts here in Connecticut, impacting offices and programs including the CT
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (called Husky B here at home). Toni Boucher can’t be counted upon to make sure that
Connecticut’s beaches stay clean and children stay healthy. She’s proposed reckless cuts to
Connecticut’s tax revenue. More fundamentally, Boucher has remained silent about President
Trump. “To be silent about Trump as an elected Republican at any level is to be complicit with
his agenda,” Haskell says.

Raised in Westport, Haskell is running on a platform of long-term investments in infrastructure,
common sense gun control and a prosperous economy for all. The 26th State Senate district
includes Westport, Ridgefield, Wilton, Redding, Weston, Bethel, and New Canaan. The district
voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election and Haskell is ready
to give a blue district its blue seat in the State Senate.

Haskell is eager to stay in close touch with constituents and urges any resident of the 26th district
to give him a call on his cell phone at 203-856-0873. For more information about Will’s
campaign and to volunteer to help, please visit WillHaskellforCT.com.

Photo of Will Haskell via his campaign's Facebook page