Hubert Delany Wins State Rep. Seat In Stamford's 144th District

STAMFORD, CT — Hubert Delany, a native of Stamford, an Army veteran and Democrat, was elected on Tuesday in the race for an open State Representative seat in the 144th District.

According to unofficial results on the Secretary of State's voter results website, Delany tallied 55.66 percent (1,661 votes) of the vote against Republican Danny Melchionne's 44.34 percent (1,323 votes). Both were first time candidates for political office.

The Connecticut Democrats Twitter account confirmed Delany's victory shortly before 9 p.m.

The 144th District seat, which dissects a portion of High Ridge Road and covers several neighborhoods such as Turn Of River and Belltown, was previously occupied by current Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons for seven years.

Gov. Ned Lamont called for a special election after Simmons, a Democrat, was sworn into office on Dec. 1, 2021.

Simmons' vacated term expires at the end of this year. New districting maps will take effect for the 2022 legislative elections following the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission's November 2021 vote in favor of new maps for the state's 151 House districts and 36 Senate districts.

After the results came in on Tuesday night, Delany expressed pride in how his campaign operated and got out his message to constituents in such a short time.

"For us, it was about doing it with dignity, respect and understanding, and trying to show people that we were going to try and go to their doors and connect with them about the issues that matter to them and to listen first, and then put in the hard work," Delany said.

Delany noted that getting Stamford schools proper funding for infrastructure improvements is a top priority as he steps into office. He also said adapting to the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic and protecting residents and their families will remain important going forward, along with supporting local businesses.

"There's a bridge that needs to be built and kept up between the legislation that is created for people, and the people that are affected by legislation," said Delany, who served on Simmons' mayoral transition team.

"[It's] about connecting with people on the ground level and making sure that if they're willing to open the door to democracy and to leadership, that there's going to be leadership on the other side of that door that cares just as much as they do and is willing to work for them."

As a veteran, Delany has over six years of experience as a U.S. Army journalist and mass communications specialist. He hopes to draw on that experience in this new role.

"We have a saying in Army journalism: to tell a soldier's story, you need to fight by their side — which essentially means that if you're going to represent somebody, you need to be able to meet them at eye level and put in the work for them," Delany said. "That's what I care about. That's what I think it's really going to come down to."

Delany praised Melchionne for stepping up and wanting to serve the community.

"In the end, our community made the choice that it made and I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to be able to work with everybody. Whether you're a conservative or liberal, it doesn't matter to me. Everyone deserves a seat at the table," Delany said.

Melchionne, 33, is a certified private personal trainer, an Intensive Care Unit registered respiratory therapist, and a Stamford native. He called Delany around 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday to concede the race and congratulate him on the victory.

"I want to congratulate Hubert on his victory tonight. It was a close race in a traditionally blue district that shows that voters in central Stamford are spit on the issues that we are faced with here in Stamford," Melchionne said in a statement to Patch Tuesday night. "I am so grateful to all the supporters who came out on a cold day in January and hope they will stay engaged to improve our city and state."