Lopes Nominated by Democrats for Senate

State Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24) was nominated by Democrats to run for the State Senate in the upcoming special election at the Democrats’ nominating convention.

The convention, with delegates from New Britain, Berlin and Farmington, met at the Pulaski Club on January 19, 2019. All of New Britain, all of Berlin and neighborhoods in Farmington are in the Sixth Senatorial District.

Lopes was nominated by former State Senator Terry Gerratana (D-6), who recently joined the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) as a senior advisor in the state Office of Health Strategy. His nomination was seconded by Rep. Bobby Sanchez (D-25).

There will be a special election on February 26, 2019 to choose Gerratana’s successor.

Republicans will nominate their candidate at their nominating convention on Monday, January 21st. The Republican convention will be at Central Pizza in Berlin. Republican Gennaro Bizzarro has said that he will seek his party’s nomination.

There are no primaries to nominate candidates in special elections. The choice of each party’s convention will be their party’s candidate in the special election that will be held on February 26th.

Both candidates have announced their intention to run under the state’s Citizen Election Program. “This voluntary public campaign financing program,” State Elections Enforcement Commission says, “was designed to encourage citizen participation and limit the role of private money in the State of Connecticut’s political process.”