State Rep Candidates Debate … & Largely Agree

“Like Abdul just said…”

“I do kind of agree with Steve…”

“Tarolyn’s exactly right…”

“My answer was what he said!”

Phrases like these were heard frequently at a political debate on Thursday evening, where three state representative candidates agreed more than they disagreed on issues such as tenants’ rights, income inequality, teacher pay, and the role of deep listening in politics.

Candidates Tarolyn Moore, Steve Winter, and Abdul Osmanu are vying for the Democratic nomiination to represent the 94th General Assembly District at the state Capitol, after State Rep. Robyn Porter decided not to run for re-election.

All three primary candidates participated in a debate on Thursday night hosted by housing advocates with the Room For All Coalition at Albertus Magnus College. 

Democrats residing in the district, which encompasses parts of northern New Haven and southern Hamden, can vote in the Democratic primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 13 — or by the state’s newly-adopted early voting system through Aug. 11.

On Thursday evening, audience members had a chance to ask the candidates questions about housing vouchers, homelessness, schools, and civic engagement. Many attendees drew from personal experience with homelessness and poverty.

They learned that the candidates all admire incumbent State Rep. Porter. They have all witnessed ​“two Connecticuts,” separated by a vast income chasm in the country’s most unequal state. They all hope to funnel more state resources to the district, which includes historically redlined, predominantly Black neighborhoods. 

The candidates all argue that teachers and paraeducators should be paid more. They all support access to addiction treatment, but stood against a previous attempt to bring methadone services to the former school building at 794 Dixwell Ave. They all generally support affordable housing promotion and tenant protections, while they focused on different avenues to reach those outcomes. And they all spoke to a need for a responsive and active communicator with constituents.

Osmanu: Willing To "Stand Alone," Bring Lived Experience

While the candidates shared a general vision for the district, they focused on the different personal and professional experiences that they each bring to the table.

Osmanu, the youngest candidate of the three at the age of 22, has served as a member of Hamden’s Legislative Council since 2021.

Now in his second term, Osmanu has focused on strengthening tenants’ ability to unionize and challenge rent hikes before the Fair Rent Commission and advocating for local and statewide initiatives supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, while working to find common ground with opponents of his ceasefire efforts.

He also ran New Haven mayoral challenger Liam Brennan’s housing-focused campaign in 2023. He has been endorsed by incumbent State Rep. Porter along with the Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party.

He framed himself on Thursday as someone unafraid to take bold stances according to his beliefs, even when it means working against colleagues.

He said that Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett’s team ​“that has decided to endorse against me,” supporting Winter instead, ​“pretty much had a foot on my neck every time I tried to work on these issues” such as housing and infrastructure.

“The people that elect me… are where I derive my power from, not the folks that are the ones making the endorsement decisions, not the folks that are sitting at those huge tables in cigar-filled rooms,” he said.

While he said he’s collaborated and forged connections with fellow politicians on the state level, he also stressed, ​“I am not afraid to stand alone.”

Osmanu called attention to the personal experiences he brings to the table as well, having grown up in Hamden as the child of Ghanaian immigrants and gone on to pursue a degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

“When I look at issues of housing, I see myself in that. If there was no such thing as the Yale Law Clinic, I would have been homeless growing up,” he said.

Later, he quoted Rep. Porter: ​“The people that are closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”

Winter: Committed To Listening & Collaborating

Winter, meanwhile, first moved to New Haven to attend college at Yale. He developed an interest in politics in part through activism to create New Haven’s police Civilian Review Board, implement Ranked Choice Voting, and reform the electoral college to reflect the national popular vote. 

He represented Newhallville’s Ward 21 on the Board of Alders for five years and is now New Haven’s director of climate and sustainability, a role in which he’s worked with developers to make new housing construction more environmentally friendly and championed large-scale projects such as a proposed geothermal network in the Hill. He named bringing in resources for kids and young people, including childcare and youth programming, as a top priority during his campaign.

Winter received the Democratic Party endorsement, the support of the Unite Here unions and New Haven Rising, and the backing of numerous other state representatives and town officials from both New Haven and Hamden.

During the debate, he addressed head-on his position as the only white candidate in the race.

“As a white person running for this seat, I need to acknowledge it. It will be 100 percent — 120 percent — incumbent on me to be out there on the doors when it’s not election time,” he said. ​“I will lead by acknowledging the limits of my own experience and doing everything I can to connect, realize, and see the experiences of others.”

He promised to be available to constituents: ​“My door will always be open. I will always return your calls. I will always return your texts. I will always return your emails. I will, because I have.”

He also focused on the relationships he’s built with constituents and neighbors as well as other politicians, nodding to his array of endorsements.

“We need someone with the conviction and the voice to get out and advocate for people, but also to bring people together and rally people around the ideas that really matter,” Winter said.

Moore: Not A "Professional Politician"

Moore contrasted herself from Winter and Osmanu as someone without past experience serving in public office.

“These guys are professional politicians,” she said. ​“I’m coming from a more grassroots level.”

Moore has served as a pastor of The Meeting Place, a church she founded in Woodbridge, for 11 years. 

By day, she works in the New Haven Public School (NHPS) system as a family resource coordinator, working outside of the classroom to support families and promote social and emotional learning among students.

“I see where a lot of times, parents need more support. We can’t fix children and send them back to dysfunction,” she said. 

Like Osmanu, she spoke to the life experiences she would draw from if elected, especially knowing loved ones who died from gun violence or overdoses. ​“We continue to lose young people because we are in a state of not having hope.” She called broadly for more resources to come to the community.

While each candidate had a chance to make their case, Moore promised that ​“win or lose, you’re gonna see us three working together.”