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February 23, 2025
A special election is being held on February 25th for a State Senate seat that has opened up due to the appointment of the present occupant, Republican Kevin Kelly, as a Superior Court Judge.
Thus, it is an open seat pitting Republican Shelton Assemblyman Jason Perillo against Democratic Stratford Councilman Tony Afriyie.
Republican State Senate Candidate Jason Perillo
Republicans have held this seat for decades and former occupants were former Congressional candidate Dan Debicella and the legendary “Doc” Gunther, who was the longest serving legislator in Connecticut history.
With such a record, Republicans may be complacent and believe this is an easy victory.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Like Connecticut, the voting patterns of this district have been trending towards the Democrats. While Kelly won easily in 2010 with 67%, he only received 57% in the last contested election. Furthermore, Democrats are outraged because President Trump is fulfilling his campaign promises and could show up in droves to send a message. Republicans must do the same. Anything can happen in an open seat election.
Jason Perillo has served the Republican Party and Shelton for his entire life. His family has a tradition of service in Shelton, with his grandfather serving as mayor in the 1960s and his mother as a public-school teacher for 30 years.
Jason Perillo has been the Chief of the Volunteer Ambulance, alderman, and State Assemblyman since 2006. He is a solid conservative stating his legislative goals [ [link removed] ] are to:
“Repeal all income taxes on social security and pensions as well as eliminate the ‘public benefit charge’ on our electric bills. The foundation of my agenda is creating a state that is affordable to families and retirees.”
But he does have the ability to reach across the aisle, as when he worked with Democrats to rebuild the Derby–Shelton Bridge.
Afriyie [ [link removed] ] on the other hand is a liberal Democrat, dedicated to “ensuring fair distribution of state education funds,” “expanding affordable housing,” and “promoting renewable energy initiatives.”
In other words, raising taxes while doing nothing to decrease Connecticut’s outrageous energy costs.
Democratic State Senate Candidate Tony Afriyie
And he is presently a legislative aide for the quintessential Connecticut Democrat, Representative Rosa DeLauro. What else can I say?

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
We must support courageous Republicans such as Jason Perillo. Presently, the Democrats control the Governor’s Mansion, State Senate 25-10 and the Assembly 101-49. Being a Republican legislator is a frustrating endeavor as Democrats have destroyed our beautiful state to the point where Republican-leaning individuals and our children have fled the state rather than live under a government dedicated to raising taxes to fund generous pensions and mollify angry implacable liberals with too much time on their hands.
Early voting has already begun, and the polls are open on Tuesday, February 25 from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to vote in this election, please click this link to get the relevant information.
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Contact Dr. Bentivegna at: [email protected]
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