State Sen. Kevin Kelly Running For Re-Election In 21st District

STRATFORD, CT — Just weeks after being removed as Republican minority leader in the Connecticut Senate by his caucus, State Sen. Kevin Kelly recently announced he is running for re-election in the 21st District.

The 21st District includes Stratford, Monroe, Seymour, and Shelton.

“I am disappointed by the recent events at the state Capitol in my caucus over the last few weeks but my commitment to the families in the 21st district is stronger than ever,” Kelly said in a news release. “I am running to bring the voices of all people to the State Capitol and fight for a more affordable, healthier, and safer Connecticut.”

Read more from the campaign news release below:

Kelly is currently serving in his seventh term in the state Senate and works as an elder law attorney as the owner of Kevin Kelly & Associates, PC; a Stratford law firm. Prior to working in private practice, Kelly worked as an investigator for the Department of Social Services for over 13 years. He and his wife Cindy live in Stratford and have four children and seven grandchildren.

Kelly is an advocate for common sense solutions to make Connecticut more affordable, grow jobs, and increase access to health care at all stages of life.

"I love Connecticut,” Kelly said. “I grew up in Stratford, raised my family here, and get to watch my grandchildren grow up here. But I also see the struggles working and middle-class families are facing today. Connecticut is unaffordable for far too many families. Necessities like good paying jobs and affordable health care remain out of reach. Inflation is only making it harder for people to balance their household budgets and put further strain on all aspects of life.

"I am disappointed by the recent events at the state Capitol in my caucus over the last few weeks but my commitment to the families in the 21st district is stronger than ever. I am running to bring the voices of all people to the State Capitol and fight for a more affordable, healthier, and safer Connecticut. I will continue to propose and stand up for policies that show a better way to help all Connecticut residents, like cutting the income tax on low- and middle-income Connecticut residents and driving down out of control health care cost growth. I will also continue to stand up to politicians and policies that have overtaxed our families and put Connecticut near dead last in the nation in job growth and income growth. As an elder law attorney and former Department of Social Services employee, I understand the challenges faced by Connecticut's most vulnerable residents and see how desperately Connecticut's working- and middle-class families need relief."

As a state Senator, Kelly has championed historic bipartisan legislation to enhance children's mental health care, to reduce the price of insulin, to increase access to life-saving early screenings for diseases including breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and to make pregnancy a qualifying life event to connect more people to vital prenatal care. He is also a leading state advocate for seniors and elderly residents, successfully working to increase supports for nursing home residents, family caregivers, and aging in place initiatives as well as strengthen the state's elder abuse laws.

Kelly has been recognized by many advocacy groups for his work focused on creating jobs, supporting seniors, protecting the environment, and improving health care access. He received the AARP National Capitol Caregiver Award, the Advocate of School Nursing Award, the Oral Health Champion Award, the Radiological Society of Connecticut’s Outstanding Commitment to Quality Health Care and Patient Access Award, as well as awards from the Greater Connecticut/Western Massachusetts Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Connecticut Association of Optometrists, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, and the Connecticut Marine Trades Association.

"I want Connecticut to be a place where all people have access to affordable health care and good paying jobs, where seniors can safely age in place, where people are not afraid in their own communities or homes, where our environment is protected and respected, where the most vulnerable have needed supports, and where working- and middle-class families can afford to live here without having to make impossible choices and sacrifices,” Kelly said.