NORTH BRANFORD—Republicans on Tuesday night said emphatically they want Vincent Candelora to continue his good work as state representative for the 86th assembly district.

Delegates from four communities unanimously endorsed Candelora during a party nominating convention held at Stewards of the Land Brewery in Northford.

"I truly cherish the responsibility that comes with serving as a voice at the capitol for residents of North Branford, Guilford and Durham, and I really look forward to working on behalf of East Haven residents again," said Candelora, who doubles as Minority Leader in the General Assembly.

Candelora, 52, is currently serving his eighth two-year term. He represented a section of East Haven until it was shifted out of the district in 2010 during the mandated redistricting process that occurs every 10 years. The northern section of the town was added back to the 86th district during the 2020 process, replacing the section of Wallingford he has served for the last decade.

"There's little doubt that affordability is the most pressing issue on the minds of Connecticut residents," said Candelora, who during the 2022 legislative session led the 54-member House Republican caucus in proposing a $1.2 billion plan for tax relief. "Inflation is, of course, a devastating issue, but beneath that lies layers of policy decisions that have prevented our state from fully recovering the jobs we lost during the great recession."

Appreciated by colleagues on both sides of the political spectrum for his deep understanding policy matters, Candelora over the last two years was a leading voice for main street job creators negatively impacted by the state's response to COVID-19. What's more, Candelora was a critic of the broad emergency powers that allowed Gov. Lamont to make or amend laws as he saw fit.

Edward Boughton Jr., chairman of North Branford's Republican Town Committee, nominated Candelora. It was seconded by Phil Augur, chairman of Durham's Republican Town Committee.

"When it comes to the pursuit of common sense policies and solutions, there's no stronger voice in the legislature than Vincent Candelora," Boughton Jr. said. "We're really fortunate that he's our state representative, and I know he'll continue to serve us with a level of professionalism and thoughtfulness that all of us can find pride in."

A small business owner with years of local volunteerism under his belt, Candelora said he looks forward to connecting with voters during the months ahead.

In 2020 Candelora was re-elected by a wide margin, winning 65 percent of vote.