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Scanlon, Candelora Win Re-election in Guilford

After Election Day, Guilford has a new state senator, but when it comes to the two state representatives covering the town, voters can expect to see familiar faces. Democrat Sean Scanlon won a third term as the state representative for the 98th District representing Guilford and part of Branford, and Republican Vincent J. Candelora won a seventh consecutive term as the state representative for the 86th District representing North Branford/Northford and sections of Guilford, Durham and Wallingford.

Despite pouring rain at times on Nov. 6, voter turnout in Guilford was a whopping 80 percent according to the secretary of the state. According to official reports, 12,553 people in town cast a ballot, 1,121 voted absentee, and 144 voters took advantage of Election Day Registration (EDR). Scanlon was uncontested, but still took in 7,376 votes across Guilford on Election Day, Nov. 6.

“I’m deeply grateful to the voters of Guilford and Branford for re-electing me to another term,” he said. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I truly love doing this job and I’m confident we can tackle Connecticut’s challenges if we put aside politics and get to work on a bipartisan basis now that the campaign is over.”

Voter turnout across the state was 67 percent and Democrats saw big wins. The governor’s office, the senate, and the house are now firmly under Democratic control. Scanlon said he looks forward to working with newly elected District 12 State Senator Christine Cohen as well as governor-elect Ned Lamont, both Democrats.

“I was the first legislator in the state to publicly endorse Ned for governor and that’s because I truly believed he has the background and relationships in the business world we need to get Connecticut’s economy moving,” he said. “We are facing big challenges, but I’m really happy with Tuesday’s results and I’m excited work with Ned and Christine on behalf of this community and state.”

Candelora, who represents a portion of north Guilford and serves as deputy Republican leader of the House in Hartford, did have two opponents. Candelora’s closest count against his Democratic opponent Vincent Mase Sr., was in Guilford, where Candelora earned approximately 51 percent of the vote to Mase’s 46.47 percent of the tally. Guilford resident and 86th District Green Party candidate Colin Souney earned 2.49 percent of in Guilford.

Overall, Candelora took in 6,715 votes to Mase’s 3,960 votes and Souney’s 144 votes. As voters turned out on the afternoon of Nov. 6, Candelora was at North Branford’s District Two polling site (Stanley T. Williams Community in Northford) to greet them.

“It’s been a very positive atmosphere. I think we’re getting a lot of people that want to see Connecticut change,” Candelora told the Courier/Zip06. “I’ve worked hard on trying to put Connecticut in the right direction and have a balanced budget, and it’s very clear that the voters are thankful for the work I’ve done. So whatever the outcome, I just know I’ve always left it out there on the field and worked for very hard for the district; and the response has been great.”