Osmanu Re-Hits The Doors

Carrying a white tote bag and a handful of door hangers and a campaign pitch focused on affordable housing and powered by youthful activism, Abdul Osmanu knocked on door after door after door after door in his bid to become the next state representative for Newhallville, Prospect Hill, and southern Hamden.

At the age of 22, he’d already been there before.

He did that canvassing in Newhallville on Saturday afternoon as part of his campaign to represent the 94th General Assembly District at the state Capitol, following a kick-off rally in Villano Park.

Osmanu noted during Saturday’s outing that he doesn’t get nervous talking to people. He attributed it to his early start in politics, which has included long hours of door-knocking.

At the age of 19, Osmanu became a member of Hamden’s Legislative Council. Three years later, the 22-year-old is now eyeing the state House seat that has been held for the past ten years by State Rep. Robyn Porter.

Porter, who is not running for reelection, has thrown her support behind Osmanu. The Democratic Party, meanwhile, has endorsed New Haven city climate director and former Alder Steve Winter. City school administrator and pastor Tarolyn Moore is also seeking the position. The Democratic Party primary for the role is scheduled for Aug. 13.

No one answered at the first few doors Osmanu knocked on Saturday afternoon. Eventually, one person opened up. And Osmanu knew the man’s name — John Vargas. 

Osmanu had stopped by Vargas’s house earlier in the year when he was trying to be put on the primary ballot. Now, Osmanu’s name is on. And he was asking for Vargas’s vote.

“John, right?” Osmanu asked.

Vargas nodded.

Housing problems have been at the forefront of Vargas’s concerns. He said his utility bills have been racking up to insurmountable amounts. He called his electricity bill ​“insane.”

Vargas remembered that when he left his last residence, his landlord raised the rent by $400 on the tenant who replaced him. The reason? To pay for a fresh coat of paint. (“That’s abusive,” Vargas said.) The housing market is so bad, he said, that his own mother — who stood behind him at his front door — has been looking for a place to live for almost ten years, not being able to afford a studio. 

“In our case, we have to choose either keeping up with the utilities and me not getting my meds,” Vargas said. ​“Or I stretch out my meds and skip days so we can pay utilities.”

The state representative hopeful didn’t skip a beat: ​“That shouldn’t be happening in the sixth richest state in the country.”

Osmanu’s supporters all mentioned his commitment to housing equity and tenant rights as reasons to why they are voting for him. Just before canvassing Saturday afternoon, CT Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Working Family Party (WFP) hosted a rally for Osmanu and Hamden legislator and state representative hopeful Laurie Sweet in Villano Park in Hamden.

Attendee Liam Conway had heard about Osmanu through social media, and was pleasantly surprised by his platform and advocacy history — especially Osmanu’s three-page Gaza ceasefire resolution.

“One thing I’m looking for in a candidate is for someone to stick to their principles. To see two candidates who are able to stick up for genuine left-wing values in a place where it’s pretty hard to do that was attractive to me,” Conway said. ​“And he’s only 22 — not much older than me. It makes me think I can do something like that.”

Alongside Osmanu and Sweet, the rally was joined by representatives from DSA and WFP, as well as former state senate candidate and Hamden councilman Justin Farmer and outgoing state representative Robyn Porter. Porter addressed potential critiques about Osmanu’s age during the rally: ​“We talk about a future. I want to remind people the movers and the shakers of the ​’60s, like the great reverend Martin Luther King, started out as a teenager in that movement,” Porter said. ​“And I’m saying that about my boy Abdul.”

During the rally, Sweet and Osmanu spoke to a crowd of around 70 supporters about a variety of platform topics. Sweet, who is a doula of seven years, highlighted Connecticut’s efforts to subsidize doula care.

But the focus remained on housing inequities — and what Sweet and Osmanu have done to combat these issues in Hamden. Sarah White, a member of the DSA, pointed to Sweet and Osmanu’s efforts in reinvigorating the Fair Rent Commission in 2023, and most recently, amending Hamden’s Code of Ordinances to include landlord registration, increasing accountability to landlords’ actions.

“I’ll say it clear. Your boss is not the reason the state runs. You are the reason the state runs,” Osmanu said to the cheering crowd. ​“In instances like this, sometimes you got to pop out and show your opponents what separates the machine powered candidates from the people powered candidates.”

Just the day before, CT AFL-CIO delegates voted to endorse Winter in August’s contested Democratic primary. 

“All in all, I very much thank everybody that was a part of that process. I have a great respect for labor here in the region,” Osmanu said. ​“I look forward to running a race where, should I win, I’m looking forward to finding ways to work with these people. At the end of the day, it’s about the issues…Let’s get down to work.”

And on stage, Osmanu’s energy reflected these sentiments:

“Once upon a time, I was told I was too young to be an elected official. I proved them wrong. I was told I was too young when I ran for reelection. I proved them wrong,” Osmanu said. ​“And on Aug. 13th, we have one more opportunity to prove folks wrong.”