CCDL 2016 Candidate Endorsements

Stataement from CCDL president, Scott Wilson:

"We are thankful to have many good candidates to support for this November's election. Some are incumbents and some are challengers who we feel will uphold our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Our sincerest hope is that gun owners as well as those who support constitutional rights will reach out to these candidates and offer their personal support".

"Gun owners can and must make a difference, or further erosion of our rights is sure to follow".

The Connecticut Citizens Defense League is a non-partisan, grassroots organization devoted to advocating rights affirmed by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Connecticut.

For the upcoming 2016 election, the CCDL Executive Committee has considered the past voting record and views that each candidate holds with respect to our constitutional rights.

This year, our job of vetting candidates has come with some regret. Some legislators we endorsed in the past have voted for a gun control bill (HB5054) this past session. Interestingly enough, some legislators
who voted for gun control in 2013 reversed course and did not support gun control efforts this year. While we applaud this turn around, at this time we simply cannot endorse candidates who supported SB1160 in 2013.

One important point: This year, more legislators from both parties voted for anti-gun bills, than voted for them during the emotionally charged 2013 session. This trend should concern all gun owners, and be a cause for them to actively support the following candidates:

CCDL Endorsed Candidate List updated 6/28/16

CT House:
District  Candidate Name  Towns Represented
8 Timothy J. ‘Tim’ Ackert - Columbia, Coventry, Tolland, Vernon
13 Mark Tweedie - Glastonbury, Manchester
23 Devin R Carney - Lyme, Old Lyme, Saybrook, Westbrook
24 Jim Sanders - New Britain, Newington
30 Chris Morelli - Berlin, Southington
33 Linda J Szynkowicz - Middletown
34 Melissa H. Ziobron – Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton
35 Jesse D MacLachlan - Clinton, Killingworth, Westbrook
36 Bobby Siegrist - Chester, Deep River, Essex, Haddam
37 Holly H Cheeseman - East Lyme, Salem
38 Lauren Shaw - Montville, Waterford
40 John F Scott - Groton, Ledyard
41 Aundre P Bumgardner - Groton, New London
42 Mike France - Ledyard, Montville, Preston
44 Anne Dauphinais - Killingly, Plainfield
47 Doug Dubitsky - Norwich, Sprague, Franklin, Lebanon, Lisbon, Hampton, Chaplin, Canterbury, Scotland
49 Tony Fantoli - Windham
52 Kurt Vail - Somers, Stafford
53 Sam Belsito - Ashford, Tolland, Willington
57 Christopher C Davis - East Windsor, Ellington
61 Tami Zawistowski - Suffield, East Granby, Windsor
62 Bill Simanski - Barkhamsted, East Granby, Granby, New Hartford
63 Jay M. Case - Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk, North Canaan, Winchester
64 Brian Ohler - Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon,Torrington
70 Rosa Rebimbas - Naugatuck
73 Steve Giacomi - Waterbury
76 John E Piscopo - Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield, Thomaston
77 Cara C Pavalock - Bristol
80 Robert C. ‘Rob’ Sampson - Wolcott, Southington
85 Serge G Mihaly - Wallingford
89 Lezlye Zupkus - Bethany, Cheshire, Prospect
90 Craig Fishbein - Cheshire, Wallingford
103 Andy Falvey - Cheshire, Southington, Wallingford
113 Jason Perillo - Shelton
119 Pam Staneski - Orange, Milford
122 Ben McGorty – Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull
131 David K. Labriola - Naugatuck, Oxford, Southbury

CT Senate:
District  Candidate Name  Towns Represented
2 Theresa Tillett - Hartford, Bloomfield, Windsor
7 John A. Kissel - East Granby, Enfield, Granby, Somers, Suffield, Windsor, Windsor Locks
8 Kevin D Witkos - Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, Norfolk, Simsbury, Torrington
13 Len Suzio - Cheshire, Meriden, Middletown, Middlefield
16 Joe Markley - Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Wolcott, Waterbury
18 Heather Somers - Griswold, Groton, North Stonington, Plainfield, Preston, Sterling, Stonington, Voluntown
19 Barbara Crouch - Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich, Sprague
19 Catherine A. ‘Cathy’ Osten - Columbia, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Marlborough, Montville, Norwich, Sprague
20 Paul M Formica - Bozrah, East Lyme, Montville, New London, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Salem, Waterford
29 John French - Brooklyn, Canterbury, Killingly, Mansfield, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson, Windham
30 Craig A Miner - Brookfield, Canaan, Cromwell, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Winchester
31 Henri R Martin - Bristol, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth, Thomaston
32 Robert J. ‘Rob’ Kane - Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Seymour, Southbury, Roxbury, Washington, Watertown, Woodbury
33 Art Linares - Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook

US House:
District  Candidate Name
2 Daria Novak
3 Angel Cadena
5 Clay Cope

US Senate:
Candidate Name
Dan Carter

*CCDL reserves the right to add or remove candidates as they are vetted by the Executive Committee. This page may be updated to reflect that.