Printer Friendly Version - North Branford Voters Pull for Republicans on Nov. 8

North Branford voters showed their Republican roots on Nov. 8, with all GOP candidates on the ballot favored by the majority of registered voters coming to the polls. Shown here, voters enter the town’s District 2 and District 3 polling place at the Stanley T. Williams Community Center on Election Day. Pam Johnson/The Sound

Running unopposed, Republican Vincent J. Candelora won his 9th consecutive term as 86th District State Representative on Nov. 8. Candelora was out visiting polling sites on Election Day, including North Branford’s District 1 polls at Jerome Harrison Elementary School, shown here. Pam Johnson/The Sound

NORTH BRANFORD - North Branford voters showed their Republican roots on Nov. 8, with all GOP candidates -- from the Governor’s race down ballot to the local Judge of Probate race -- favored by the majority of registered voters coming to the town’s 3 polling places.

Of North Branford’s 9,505 registered voters, 66 percent, or a total of 6,277, came out to vote on Nov. 8, according to Town Clerk Lisa Valenti.

Running unchallenged for a 9th consecutive term as District 86 State Representative, Republican Vincent Candelora was supported by garnering 4,682 votes in North Branford. The 86th District, redrawn in 2022, represents North Branford/Northford and sections of Guilford, Durham and now, northerly East Haven. District-wide, Candelora received 7,548 votes overall on Nov. 8.

In state senate races, North Branford voters represented by District 12 gave Republican challenger Paul Crisci 2,945 votes over incumbent Christine Cohen, who received 1,921 total votes in town. Cohen won reelection on Nov. 8 based on 27,319 total votes received among all towns represented by District 12, which also includes the towns of Branford, Durham, Guilford, Killingworth and Madison. Crisci garnered a total of 21,562 votes.

For the town’s newly-districted small segment of North Branford/Northford represented by State Senate District 34, voters gave 902 votes to incumbent Republican Paul Cicarella, with 80 votes cast for Democratic challenger David A. Bedell. Cicarella won his re-election bid with 26,672 total votes over 3,830 for Bedell.

On Nov. 8, the majority of North Branford voters pulled for Republican Al Ippolito in the race for District 35 Judge of Probate representing Branford-North Branford. On election night, the prevailing results among all voters in District 35 elected Democrat Chuck Tiernan to the post, with a total of 10,013 votes over Ippolito’s total of 9,299. In North Branford, Ippolito earned 3,695 votes and Tiernan received 2,389 votes.

Speaking with Zip06/The Sound on Election Day, Candelora, a North Branford resident, said he was particularly grateful for the continued support shown by North Branford residents not only for his own candidacy, but for Republican candidates as a whole.

“I don’t see that changing. The town has leaned toward the Republican party,” said Candelora. “The town’s been under Republican rule locally for a long time, and at the state level. I think the community has tried to be really fiscally responsible and provide appropriate growth...I think they just like what the party has offered them over the years.”