State Legislative Races in Stamford Heating Up
Two Candidates Reach Public Financing Goal Within Four Days
STAMFORD — Three State House districts, two entirely in Stamford, have recently seen candidate announcements. A trio of local candidates, including one incumbent, formally launched their campaigns for the 2024 election cycle.
146th State House District
Businesswoman Eilish Collins Main, who has a background in marketing and business development in the education and technology sector, declared her candidacy on Wednesday, April 24. She is seeking the Democratic nomination.
“Through my own lived experiences, I know what it means to be the child of immigrants, to be a working parent in need of high quality, affordable childcare, and to navigate health care and social services for an aging parent,” Collins Main said in a press release. “When I listen to residents in our district, I hear their concerns about everything from affording monthly expenses and improving pedestrian safety and creating safe, walkable neighborhoods to our need to focus on greater sustainability and resilience as a coastal community.”
According to the campaign announcement, Collins Main has supported the efforts of Building One Community, a Stamford nonprofit resource center for immigrants, for a decade and has been an active Stamford Democratic Party member. She also has volunteered with the League of Women Voters board, the Police Activities League, and the Saint Francis Episcopal Church outreach programs.
Additionally, Collins Main has served on the City’s Personnel Commission for a year. The release also noted that Collins Main was born in Stamford and raised her three children in the city.
Just four days after her announcement, Collins Main indicated that she had raised over $5,800 from at least 150 Stamford residents, which is enough to qualify for a Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) grant if approved by the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC).
The 146th State House District includes central and southern neighborhoods of the city, like the South End, Harbor Point, Shippan, and parts of downtown Stamford.
Currently serving the 146th State House District is State Representative David Michel (D), a close associate of Reform Stamford, a group that was co-founded by a MAGA extremist on the Stamford Board of Representatives (BOR).
Michel was first elected in 2018 after winning the Democratic primary over then-incumbent State Representative Terry Adams and the subsequent general election in November of that year.
148th State House District
After serving for around 12 years, Dan Fox stepped down as state representative to serve as a Superior Court judge. A special election to determine his replacement was held in early 2023.
During the Democratic nomination process for that race, Board of Representatives and DCC member Anabel Figueroa voted for herself as the tie-breaking vote, and subsequently won the race.
The other Democrat under consideration was BOR member Jonathan Jacobson, who opted not to have a primary in 2023. However, he has returned for round two.
A public servant since 2016, Jacobson is an attorney by trade and has championed several environmental measures in the city, including on plastic bags and styrofoam.
While seeking to offer better constituent support to residents for their concerns, a campaign press release on Thursday, May 2, stated that Jacobson will also continue to emphasize the themes of “greater transparency and accountability” in his work ethic and tenure if elected to the State House.
A second announcement from the Jacobson campaign the following day shared that he had reached the qualifications for a CEP grant.
Figueroa, who is currently Michel’s colleague in the Stamford delegation, has similarly sought to closely position herself as an ally of the Reform Stamford group. Figueroa was among five DCC candidates who ran on the Reform-backed slate and won their races.
149th State House District
Incumbent State Representative Rachel Khanna, who represents a portion of both Greenwich and Stamford, announced her candidacy for another term on Monday, May 6.
In part, Khanna said that “[t]here is more work to be done and I am committed to ensuring Connecticut continues to thrive and remain economically and fiscally strong.”
She touted accomplishments such as acquiring millions in funding for local projects, including “$51.6 million for the renovation of Stamford's Roxbury Elementary School [and] $1,206,128 in Local Capital Improvement bonding for Stamford” as detailed on her campaign website.
In her first term, Khanna served on three committees in the Connecticut General Assembly. They include the Appropriations; Government, Administration, and Election; and Transportation committees.
In 2022, according to the Secretary of the State’s office, Khanna unseated conservative Republican and incumbent State Representative Kimberly Fiorello by more than 200 votes.
For the 149th State House District, as a multi-town district, Democratic delegates from each town gathered on Wednesday, May 15, to nominate Khanna for a second term.
In party-dominant districts like the 146th and 148th, the primary will usually represent the biggest contest for candidates. To receive the Stamford Democratic City Committee’s (DCC) formal support and line on the ballot, a candidate needs to receive the Party’s support at the DCC Endorsement Meeting. This year, it will be held on Wednesday, May 22.
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