Zola with her daughter after filing cross-endorsement paperwork at the state Capitol.
Voters will be able to cast ballots for Republican state representative candidate Andrea DiLieto Zola — without voting “Republican.”
That’s because the Independent Party of Connecticut has cross-endorsed Zola’s challenge to incumbent Democratic State Rep. Roland Lemar for the 96th General Assembly seat covering Wooster Square, East Rock, and Fair Haven. Lemar, who co-chairs the legislature’s Transportation Committee, is seeking a eighth two-year term. (Click here to read/watch an interview with Zola about her campaign.)
“With my Independent endorsement, I will appear on the November ballot twice. I will be listed under both the Republican and Independent lines. This is significant to me because, having been unaffiliated for most of my life, it provides unaffiliated voters with the option to vote for me as an Independent,” Zola stated.
Party chair Chip Beckett said the group agreed to Zola’s request for a cross-endorsement because she supports core party principles like ranked-choice voting “and is concerned about ballot access with minor parties to improve choice of representation.”
“She has started a new business and is aware of the challenges of starting a business, which is who hires people to create jobs and economic opportunity. She is also sensitive to environmental issues and climate change,” Beckett said.