Hartford, CT – After tonight’s special election in Stratford, Chairman Balletto released the following statement:

“Congratulations to Phil Young and his entire team on this landmark victory. This is a historic win for Democrats in Connecticut. The 120th district has been a Republican stronghold for four decades, and tonight Democratic voters proved they’re ready for a change. Over the last few weeks, the grassroots energy focusing on Phil Young’s campaign for state representative has been tangible and remarkable, and I am proud of the countless volunteers, the campaign staff, and the local party leaders that spent hundreds of hours making phone calls, knocking on doors, and talking to voters about this election. This was a hard fought race, but one thing is for certain, Connecticut voters are coming out to reject the Donald Trump playbook that is being employed by the leadership of the Connecticut Republican Party. We’ve seen Donald Trump’s scare tactics fail in NJ and VA, and tonight Connecticut voters proved they will reject them as well. Whether it is the legislature, candidates for statewide office, or candidates for federal office; one thing should be made certain, Connecticut Democrats are ready to fight back. There will be a clear choice this November, and while Republican push a strategy of tearing down our communities and putting our children at risk, our candidates and our elected officials are prepared to fight for the values that have represented Connecticut for decades. And because of that, today serves as a notice that we will continue to move our state forward this fall by investing in our communities, our volunteers, and the grassroots infrastructure that has always fueled our party. This is just the beginning of the fight and Democrats are ready.”