Changing of the guard: Incumbent Porter, nominee Winter.
It appears something momentous will happen this year in New Haven: Voters will elect a new state legislator, for the first time in eight years.
That’s because incumbent State Rep. Robyn Porter did not show up to a convention Wednesday night to receive the Democratic Party’s endorsement to run for a sixth two-year term representing the 94th General Assembly District.
Democrats nominated Steve Winter for the seat instead. Winter, a former alder, currently serves as the city’s chief of climate and sustainability, a day job he said he plans to keep if elected in November.
“I’m just thrilled at the opportunity to serve and represent New Haven-Hamden at the state level,” he said while en route to work Thursday morning on the Farmington Canal trail on his electric bike.
Asked if the Republicans have a candidate to seek the 94th District seat, GOP Town Chair John Carlson replied, “Not yet.”
Porter did not return a call for comment for this article. She has been a prominent legislator at the state Capitol, taking a lead on passing laws ranging from minimum wage increases, children’s mental health protection and pay equity to the rights of Black women not to be discriminated against for how they wear their hair.
Her absence Wednesday surprised party members, though they were aware something was up.
“Many people reached out to Rep. Porter for the last several weeks and days, especially yesterday, trying to get a definitive answer as to what her intentions were,” said Democratic Town Chair Vincent Mauro Jr. “If she had shown and said she wanted to run, she would have been the nominee.”
Wednesday night’s 94th District Democratic nominating convention took place at the Betsy Ross School’s parish house on Kimberly Avenue. Rumors had circulated during the day that Porter might not appear to seek reelection. Winter said he came to the convention ready to seek the nomination in that case but also to support Porter if she did show up. She didn’t show up.
Hamden Legislative Council member Abdul Osmanu nominated Porter at the convention; Mauro asked for a second to the nomination. Winter, whose nomination had been seconded, was the only candidate listed when it came time to vote.
Even though state legislative elections take place every two years, New Haven rarely has contested races. The seats in New Haven tend to be for life until an incumbent decides to step down: After 10 years, Porter was among the more junior members of the delegation. Only State Rep. Al Paolillo Jr. was first elected more recently (in 2016). State Rep. Pat Dillon has been in office since 1985, for instance; State Rep. Roland Lemar since 2010, Juan Candelaria since 2002. State Sen. Martin Looney has been a senator since 1993 (a state rep before that since 1981). New Haven’s other state senator, Gary Winfield, was elected in 2014; before that he had served as a state representative since 2009.
Winter, who is 35, has been involved in state and local politics since being a Yale student, organizing against New Haven police tactics in a raid on a downtown nightclub. He worked for Ned Lamont’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign — including, video camera in tow and rolling, crashing an interview of Lamont’s opponent Dan Malloy at the former Bru Cafe on Orange Street — then later supported Malloy (who tried to hire him). He has worked on statewide citizen campaigns, including a successful effort to have Connecticut join a multistate compact seeking to have the popular vote, rather than electoral votes, determine who becomes president. He has also worked in the green tech sector, leading to his current City Hall job.
If elected, Winter said, he hopes to continue advocating for climate change-related and democracy-related legislation in addition to core issues like housing, public safety, education, and affordable housing. Winter lives on Dixwell Avenue near the conjunction of Dixwell and Newhallville, neighborhood he represented as an alder and which are part of the 94th District (along with Southern Hamden).
Click here for a story about Wednesday night’s surprise and Porter’s legislative legacy, by CT Mirror’s Mark Pazniokas.
Winter crashing a Dan Malloy interview at Bru Cafe in 2010.
Winter addressing climate change in an interview as he transitioned from alder to city climate czar.