Woodstock's Ethan Werstler Launches Campaign For Connecticut's 35th Senate District

WOODSTOCK, CT — Ethan Werstler has announced his candidacy for Connecticut's 35th Senate District, launching a campaign centered on agriculture, housing, small business and rising costs in northeastern Connecticut.

He is a Democrat.

The 35th District comprises Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington and Woodstock. Werstler, a Woodstock resident and previous candidate for representative in the 52nd district, said he is bringing his ties to the region to the race.

According to the campaign announcement, Werstler is a fourth-generation UConn graduate and a third-generation Woodstock resident. The announcement says he is a small business owner, an associate at a government affairs firm in Hartford, and a volunteer on the board of trustees of Woodstock's Roseland Park. It also says he has served as a full voting member of the UConn Board of Trustees and has advocated for residents facing food insecurity.

"My campaign will not be about making noise. It is about listening, learning, and working hard to represent our citizens with integrity," Werstler said. "I am energized by the residents I've already had the opportunity to meet, and I look forward to hearing from many more across the district.”

The campaign announcement ties Werstler's run to economic concerns in the state. It says the current economic downturn has negatively impacted Connecticut, with inflation and increased costs for essential goods and services affecting residents.

“It’s not enough to raise awareness of the changes needed, but to actually make these changes,” Werstler said. “Northeastern Connecticut deserves a Senator who is a leader who won’t settle for business as usual.”

According to the announcement, Werstler said he will advocate for policies aimed at economic growth, educational access and opportunity, and social inequity. More information about the campaign is available at werstlerforct.com and on social media at @werstlerforct.

Last month, the campaign of incumbent Republican state Sen. Jeff Gordon announced that Gordon has met the threshold to qualify for the Connecticut’s Citizens’ Election Program for the 2026 election. The milestone, which requires hundreds of small-dollar contributions from in-district donors, signals early organizational strength and broad-based support across every town of the 35th Senate District.