Vernon Election Day 2016 Results: Winkler Grabs Open State House Seat, Incumbents Maintain Their Hold

VERNON, CT — Democrat Michael Winkler edged Republican Jim Tedford for the open 56th District seat in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Otherwise, major incumbents held onto the state and national positions.

Winkler and Tedford are both town council members. The seat was up for grabs when longtime state Rep. Claire Janowski announced she was stepping down.

Winkler garnered 5,379 votes off the Democratic and Working Families endorsements, while Tedford received 5,044 votes off the Republican and independent tickets.

Here's how Vernon voted according to the secretary of the state:

U.S. President

• (D) Clinton and Kaine - 7,084, 52.25 percent
• (R) Trump and Pence - 5,666, 41.79 percent
• (L) Johnson and Weld - 553, 4.08 percent
• (G) Stein and Baraka - 237, 1.75 percent

U.S. Senate

• (D) Richard Blumenthal - 7,603, 57.02 percent
• (R) Dan Carter - 4,526, 33.95 percent
• (WF) Richard Blumenthal - 847, 6.35%
• (L) Richard Lion - 192, 1.44 percent
• (G) Jeffery Russell - 165, 1.24 percent

U.S. Rep District 2

• (D) Joe Courtney - 7,728, 57.41 percent
• (R) Daria Novak - 4,342, 32.25 percent
• (WF) Joe Courtney - 890, 6.61 percent
• (L) Daniel Reale - 291, 2.16 percent
• (G) Jonathan Pelto - 211, 1.57 percent

State Senate District 35

• (D) Arlene Avery - 5,218, 39.08 percent
• (R) Tony Guglielmo - 7,637, 57.20 percent
• (WF) Arlene Avery - 497, 3.72 percent

State Rep District 8

• (D) Thomas Currier - 953, 34.52 percent
• (R) Tim Ackert - 1,715, 62.12 percent
• (WF) Thomas Currier - 93, 3.37 percent

State Rep District 56

• (D) Michael Winkler - 4,953, 47.52 percent
• (R) Jim Tedford - 4,760, 45.67 percent
• (WF) Michael Winkler - 426, 4.09 percent
• (I) Jim Tedford - 284, 2.72 percent

Registrars of Voters

• (D) Chris Prue - 6,553, 51.26 percent
• (R) John K. Anderson - 6,231, 48.74 percent

Registered voters in Vernon began heading to the polls early on Tuesday for the 2016 election.

Moderators in Vernon said the lines were out the doors and onto the sidewalks at about 7:40, 20 minutes before the polls opened on Tuesday morning.

By 6:30 a.m. at Vernon Center Middle School, 152 residents had cast ballots.

U.S. Rep Joseph Courtney was one of them.

When asked if it were obvious who he voted for, the Democrat running for a sixth term in Congress said it was. Courtney said he does not remember a more “exhausting” campaign season, but hopes the grind translates into more people getting into the process.

“I think everyone in America is ready for the election to be over,” Courtney said. “By tonight and into tomorrow, there will be some happy people and some very upset people in this country. We have to take what has happened this year and make it work for good change in Congress.”

As Courtney was walking out of the polling place, a woman came up to him and implored him to “keep Obama care.”

Courtney spent some time with Daniel Champagne, Vernon’s Republican mayor, talking local issues. A woman walking toward the voting entrance saw Champagne’s Trump button and gave it a fist pump.

“I’m a Latina and I voted for Trump,” Vernon resident Marlene Michaud said. “I’m for building the wall. Yes. I’m Latina, but we have to do something about the criminals coming here and creating the perception that we might be lazy and stealing and selling drugs. I live in America and want to keep my reputation as a hard-working American.”

At the Tolland Recreation Center, Robin Montstream was wearing a Hillary Clinton button after voting with her granddaughter, Aria. he said she has been so into the Clinton campaign that she drove to New Hampshire for a rally on Monday and then returned to Tolland to vote Tuesday.

“If we want change, we have to be involved,” she said.

As of 9:11 a.m., 1,064 had voted at Rockville High School, one of four polling places in Vernon.

That was up from 711 at 8:10 a.m.

To read about the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut and the five congressional races click on this related story.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel