Duff & Winfield to Lead Largest Senate Democratic Majority in State History

HARTFORD – The 33-member Senate Democratic caucus today voted to elect Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) as Senate President Pro Tempore and Senate Majority Leader, respectively, for the 2027-2028 legislative session.

Senators Duff and Winfield will take their new posts when the General Assembly is sworn in on January 6, 2027, and will lead the largest Senate Democratic majority in Connecticut history. Senator Winfield will be the first Black Senate Majority Leader in the state’s history. They succeed Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), the longest-serving Senate President Pro Tempore in Connecticut history, who is retiring.

“We are honored that our colleagues have trusted us to lead the Senate Democratic caucus for the next two years. On Tuesday, the people of Connecticut once again chose Senate Democrats to keep building on the work of making this state more affordable, protecting their rights and freedoms, and standing up for our residents when Washington turns its back on them. We take that trust seriously.

“We also want to thank Senator Looney, whose knowledge of the law, dedication to this institution, and lifelong commitment to working families have left their mark on nearly every major piece of legislation this chamber has passed in a generation. We are proud to carry that work forward, and we pledge to work for all the people of Connecticut over the next two years,” said Senators Duff and Winfield.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov

Duff & de la Cruz: Pfizer’s $650 Million Groton Investment Is a Bet on Connecticut

“Pfizer could have built this anywhere in the world, and it chose Groton. This $650 million investment is a bet on Connecticut: on our workforce, our research base, and the decades of work that made southeastern Connecticut a home for science. This is a long-term commitment to the people already working on that campus and to the whole region around it.

–Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) on Pfizer’s announcement of a new Manufacturing Technology Center in Groton.

“Pfizer has been part of Groton for as long as I can remember. My neighbors work there, and this investment keeps that work here for the long haul. I spent my career in the trades, and I know what a project this size means: years of work for the carpenters, electricians, sheet metal workers, and laborers who will build it. And when the construction crews leave, the jobs stay. This puts the scientists and technicians on that campus in a modern facility built for the next generation of medicines, and that keeps good-paying jobs anchored in the region for decades to come.

–Senator-elect Joe de la Cruz (D-Groton) on the same announcement.

Pfizer plans to build an approximately 220,000-square-foot Manufacturing Technology Center at its Groton research and development campus, a $650 million capital investment over the next five years. The facility will produce clinical drug ingredients and drug products for Pfizer clinical trials worldwide. Construction is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2027, with operations targeted for mid-2031.

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Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov

Looney, Duff: Connecticut Voters Sent a Message, and It Was “Keep Going”

“Connecticut voters sent a clear message last night. They looked at what Senate Democrats have done: cut taxes for the middle class, took on the utility companies to lower electric bills, made child care more affordable, and paid down the state’s debt, and they gave us the largest Democratic State Senate majority ever.

“Others wrote off a lot of these races. We didn’t. We put more than half a million dollars from the Senate Democrats’ caucus PACs behind every single candidate in those districts that others never gave a chance. Tonight voters sent us Democratic senators from seats Republicans had held for decades: Carolann Reid in the 21st, Republican since 1966; Rob Blanchard in the 28th, the first Democrat to hold it since 1976; Aaron Zimmer in the 30th, the Senate Republican Leader’s own seat, the first Democrat to hold it since 1981; and David Kiner in the 7th and Ethan Werstler in the 35th, the first since 1992.

“We were proud to help bring these candidates into the race, having worked for over a year in some of these districts. They come from every walk of life: a retired union sheet metal worker, a musician who built his own record label, an educational nonprofit worker, a 26-year-old who fought hunger on his college campus, a local official who chaired her town’s finance board, and a senior advisor to Governor Lamont. Every one of them ran to make life more affordable for the people they’ll represent.

“For two years, Connecticut Republicans stood with a Trump regime that drove up costs, started a war that caused needless suffering, and slashed services in our state, then told people the pain wasn’t real. Voters knew better.

“We welcome our new senators to the caucus and congratulate Governor Lamont on his reelection. With a supermajority in the Senate and a Democratic supermajority in the House, we have a mandate to make Connecticut more affordable, and we intend to use it.”

-Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) on the State Senate election results. With a recount pending in the 34th Senate District, Senate Democrats will hold at least 32 of the Senate’s 36 seats, the largest Senate Democratic majority since at least 1887.

Senator Looney, Connecticut’s longest-serving Senate President Pro Tempore, did not seek reelection and will retire in January after 46 years in the General Assembly.

The Senate Democrats held all 25 seats they held going into election day. The caucus also picked up at least 7 seats:

• the 7th Senate District, with David Kiner defeating John Kissel
• the 18th Senate District, with Joe de la Cruz defeating Heather Somers
• the 21st Senate District, with Carolann Reid defeating Jason Perillo
• the 28th Senate District, with Rob Blanchard defeating Amybeth Laroche for the open seat
• the 30th Senate District, with Aaron Zimmer defeating Senate Republican Leader Steve Harding
• the 35th Senate District, with Ethan Werstler defeating Jeff Gordon
• the 36th Senate District, with Jill Oberlander defeating Joe Kelly for the open seat

The Senate Democrats are waiting on a recount from:

• the 34th Senate District, Brandi Mandato and Paul Cicarella

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov

Looney & Duff Statement on Hospitalization of Sen. Murphy

“We’re relieved to hear that Senator Murphy is alert and expected to make a full recovery. Chris is a champion for Connecticut, for the core values of our nation, and a steadfast defender of democracy, both at home and abroad. He and his family are in our thoughts, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the fight soon.”

-Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) on the recent hospitalization of Senator Chris Murphy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | 203-710-0193 | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov

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