MacLachlan Returned to Hartford in Three-Way 35th District Race
Voters from Connecticut’s 35th General Assembly District have elected incumbent Republican Jesse MacLachlan to represent them in Hartford for a third term.
MacLachlan won with 52.5 percent of the three-way vote, with Democrat Jason Adler netting 46.0 percent and Green Party candidate Madeleine Leveille with 1.5 percent. The 35th District represents Clinton, Killingworth, and northern Westbrook.
MacLachlan ran on a platform that focused on fixing the state’s economic struggles as his primary goal. MacLachlan also said he’d like to help tackle the issue of human trafficking by working with organizations that deal with the issue to advance their legislative goals. MacLachlan also said he’d like to meet with trade schools to help them train kids for workforce preparedness, particularly in STEM and high-tech field.
Reached for comment after his victory, MacLachlan told the Harbor News that, “I’m incredibly thankful. I’m honored to be trusted again.”
To his constituents, MacLachlan said, “I will always put them and their interests first and I will do my best to reflect their sentiments and fight for them.
As for items he plans to tackle moving forward, MacLachlan repeated his campaign promise to pursue vocational training forward and to work on the state budget.
“The budget is the number-one issue the legislature will be grappling with,” he said. “Parties need to put the ugliness of the election behind them and get to works.”
MacLachlan encouraged people to visit his website www.cthousegop.com/maclachlan to stay connected and contact him with concerns.
MacLachlan’s opponents also weighed in on the results.
“I’m certainly disappointed with the results, but I called to congratulate Jesse and remind him why I got in the race,” Adler said.
Adler said he asked that MacLachlan “not look to solve Connecticut’s economic woes solely on the backs of teachers.” Adler also expressed hope that MacLachlan would “pay equal attention to all three towns and their needs.”
“I’m so appreciative; it’s been a wonderful experience,” Adler said. “I loved getting to know my volunteers, I couldn’t imagine a better team.”
“I wish Jesse the best and am interested so see how he fills his commitments to seniors, young families, and the environment,” Leveille said.
Leveille thanked her voters for their support, and encouraged them to “keep the faith, there’s plenty of issues we need to work on.”
According to unofficial results from the secretary of the state’s website, MacLachlan won with 6,240 votes (5,979 as a Republican and 261 under the independent Party) to Adler’s 5,461 and Leveille’s 181.
MacLachlan won in all three towns in his district. In Clinton, the vote was 3,208 for MacLachlan, 3,066 for Adler, and 104 for Leveille;in Westbrook, 1,122 for MacLachlan, 794 for Adler, and 26 for Leveille; and in Killingworth, 1,910 for MacLachlan, 1,601 for Adler, and 51 for Leveille.