Top, from left, state Rep. Andres Ayala, former state Sen. Ernest Newton; and state Sen. Ed Gomes face off in the 23rd Senate District Democratic primary on Aug. 14. Bottom, from left, Edwin Vargas, 6th House candidate; state Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, 3rd House District; and Victor Luna, 3rd House District challenger
Today, Aug. 14, is primary day in Connecticut. CTLatinoNews.com has asked candidates in races involving Latino candidates to answer questions on why they are the right candidates for the job and what changes are most important to Connecticut’s future.
The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Connecticut Secretary of the State’s website has a tool that will show you where to vote based on your street address, as well as provide you directions to your polling place.
There is one open seat in Bridgeport and three races where the incumbents have been denied the nomination. In the last race, an incumbent is facing a challenge. What follows is a short description of each race. Our legislative Q&A is available for your perusal and can help you see where the legislative candidates stand on the issues.
The race attracting the most attention is the primary in the State Senate 23rd District serving parts of the city of Bridgeport and part of the town of Stafford to the east. It features a challenge by state Rep. Andres Ayala, part of a prominent political Latino family in Bridgeport; incumbent Edward Gomes, who was denied nomination to another term; and former state Sen. Ernest Newton II, a convicted felon who resigned office in 2005.
Christina Ayala of Bridgeport is seeking the 128th District House seat. She is a site manager for Action for Bridgeport Community Development. She faces a primary challenge from Angel Reyes, community activist, businessman, journalist, and founder of the bilingual Park City Independent.
Waterbury’s 75th House district features a primary between the endorsed candidate, Victor Cuevas, a recreation center director, and four-term incumbent David Aldarondo, who reportedly fell out of favor with newly elected Mayor Neil O’Leary, and was denied the nomination for a fifth term at the Capitol, where he is one of numerous assistant majority leaders, as well as serving on the Aging; Executive and Legislative Nominations; and Insurance and Real Estate committees.
Hartford has two Democratic primaries involving Latinos for House seats. In the 3rd State House District, based in Hartford, the winner of the Democratic primary will run unopposed. The incumbent (and party endorsed candidate) is Minnie Gonzalez, who has served in the Legislature since 1997. She currently is Democratic majority whip at large. She faces off against challenger Victor M. Luna Jr., who is active in local causes in the district.
In the 6th House District, Edwin Vargas Jr., the endorsed candidate, is squaring off the incumbent Hector Robles, who is facing criminal charges for allegedly falsifying time cards while a Hartford police officer (before being fired in 2010).