Candidates For 36th State Senate Seat To Square-Off In Forum

GREENWICH, CT — The League of Women Voters (LWV) in Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan will host a public forum for the three candidates vying for the 36th State Senate seat ahead of the special election on Aug. 17.

Democratic nominee Alexis Gevanter will join Republican nominee Ryan Fazio, along with John Blankley, a petitioned candidate, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Greenwich Town Hall. Former LWV national and Connecticut President, Kay Maxwell, will moderate the discussion. Audience participants will attend virtually via Zoom.

Participants must register for the event, and they are invited to submit a maximum of two questions for the candidates after the registration process is complete. Questions must be received by Aug. 1. The LWV Greenwich will only consider questions that all candidates can answer. A screening committee of one Republican and one Democrat LWV Greenwich board member will review the questions before submitting them to the moderator.

The 36th State Senate seat was vacated following the resignation of Democrat Alex Kasser, who cited an ongoing divorce as the reason why she stepped down. The seat covers Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. Gov. Ned Lamont subsequently called for a special election on Aug. 17.

Gevanter, a political newcomer, is a business attorney and was recently the Connecticut chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Fazio ran against Kasser in 2020 and lost. Fazio grew up in Greenwich and attended Greenwich High School. He has worked in the shipping, agriculture and renewable energy industries, mostly in Stamford. Fazio is a member of the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting in District 12.

Blankley is a Greenwich Democrat and business executive who has been a member of the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting and Board of Estimate and Taxation. He broke from his party following the nomination of Gevanter, and petitioned his way onto the ballot by acquiring the necessary amount of signatures.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.