Twenty-Fourth District State Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24) gained the unanimous endorsement of delegates on Tuesday as Democrats chose their candidate to retake the 6th District Senate seat won by Republican Gennaro Bizzarro (R-6), a local Attorney and the city’s corporation counsel, in a February 2019 special election.
Lopes, a four term lawmaker representing parts of New Britain and Newington and the House Chair of the Legislature’s Banking Committee, accepted the endorsement from 40 delegates from Berlin, Farmington and New Britain at the convention held on May 19, 2020 by Zoom video conference because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite living through a pandemic and economic difficulties caused by it over the next couple of years we need to look forward to better days,” Lopes told the convention. “As bad as things are now, I feel we are going to have a momentous, historic achievement in November. We’re going to vote this President out and vote him out hard.”
Lopes, a small business owner who holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut, pointed to Senator Bizzarro’s abysmal record in representing the interests of 6th district residents on issues such as the minimum wage, family medical leave, affordable health care and aid to cities and towns. “I fully intend to win this seat and take Senator Bizzarro out of it.”
New Britain Delegate Adrienne Benjamin nominated Lopes saying he has been an accessible legislator over the last eight years and a good neighbor. “He brings a unique perspective to the legislature combining the values and empathy of social work with the realities of running a small business.”
Lopes ran in the February 2019 special election to succeed former State Senator Terry Gerratana who had resigned to take a health care policy post in the Lamont administration. Lopes won the city of New Britain by 500 votes amid a low turnout but lost to Bizzarro in heavily Republican Berlin which proved to be the winning margin. Lopes nomination sets up the rematch in the November 3 Presidential election.
New Britain Democrats will conclude their endorsements for 2020 at a telephone conference meeting on Thursday, May 21st, with endorsements for the 25th and 26th State Representative, Registrar of Voters and Justices of the Peace.
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