Hamden Returns All Dems to the Legislature

With four of five of the town's state legislative seats set long before Election Day arrived, there was little in the way of surprises Tuesday in town races.

The only race with a challenger was state Sen. Joseph Crisco, D-17, who faced Republican Tony Szewczyk, a Derby resident and former member of that city's Board of Aldermen.

"We've won every town, but we're still waiting to make it official," Crisco told Patch shortly before midnight.

"We won Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Naugatuck, Woodbridge -- a couple of towns we lost two years ago. Assuming that things look well, our figures are far greater than two years ago. And I didn't win Naugatuck or Beacon Falls then."

Speaking by phone from his home, Szewczyk told Patch, "It doesn't look like I won. I never even had a headquarters ... I'm trying to get my feelings in order -- still recuperating from the campaign.

"I thought the whole thing was interesting," he said. "I was underdog from beginning to end, and given the amount of time and resources we had, I thought we did remarkably well, somewhere in upper 30-40% of vote.

Who knows, I might try it again," he said.

State Sen. Martin Looney, D-11, and Rep. Brendan Sharkey, D-88, both ran unopposed and both will return to Hartford to positions of leadership -- Looney to the position of Senate Majority Leader and Sharkey to the position of Speaker of the House, a position he is expected to be elected to in January.

In the 91st District, Democrat Michael D'Agostino will fill the seat of the retiring Rep. Peter Villano, and Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield will return to his seat representing his constituents in the 94th District, which encompasses New Haven and part of Hamden. Both men ran unopposed.