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05/20/2020 12:00 AMState Senate candidate April Capone won the Democratic endorsement for the 34th State Senate district May 19 by a vote of 24-18. Capone showed unanimous support in East Haven, where she served as mayor for two terms. She also won the majority of delegates in North Haven, the town she currently resides in, and nearly half of the Wallingford delegates.
“Tonight is the first step in turning this seat blue,” Capone said. “I am thankful for all the support the delegates and the town committees have shown me. When we launched this campaign three weeks ago, we knew that to get where we are tonight it wouldn’t be easy. I’m no stranger to hard won fights. We have demonstrated that in a short time we have organized and built a campaign that is ready to win in November.”
The 34th Senate district includes the towns of Wallingford and East Haven, most of North Haven, and a part of Durham. The number of delegates from each town is determined by the number of registered Democrats in each town covered by the district.
Wallingford was allotted 19 delegates, East Haven 12, North Haven 10, and Durham 1. In accordance with state party rules, the meeting was conducted virtually, through Zoom. Kathy Grant, chair of the North Haven Democratic Town Committee, was appointed temporary chair and later elected permanent chair.
In her acceptance speech, Capone focused on party unity and core Democratic values like healthcare andeconomic and environmental justice and the current pandemic.
“Since the moment I entered this race, it has never been about me, but what we can do together, particularly in these extraordinary times. Look, I know people are scared.” Capone said. “People’s houses, their livelihood, and their health are at risk. People on the other side of the aisle would have had the state reopened by now. That’s not the kind of representation we need. People want an experienced leader to help them through this and carry our message to Hartford.”
“April knows the nuts and bolts of how government works,” said former East Haven state representative James Albis, who nominated Capone. “And through her work as mayor in East Haven she’s earned a degree in crisis management, from navigating a budget crisis, to helping steer residents away from foreclosure during the 2008-’09 recession, to assisting homeowners whose homes sustained massive damage during Tropical Storm Irene. Now more than ever we need someone with April’s credentials to help us through the challenges our state is currently facing.”
Grant echoed support for Capone.
“Since April announced her candidacy, she has created energy and momentum. Her record-setting fundraising and her decisive win tonight show the excitement democrats have for her candidacy,” Grant said. “She is the best chance to beat the republicans in November.”
Capone has called for greater access to absentee ballots by providing postage-paid return envelopes to voters, a more equitable healthcare system, and emerging from the current COVID-19 pandemic both physically and financially healthy. Last week Capone announced her record setting qualifying fundraising for the Citizen’s Election Program. To learn more about Capone’s campaign, visitaprilforct.com.