State Rep. Angel Arce, D-Hartford, who promised to resign two weeks ago in response to what legislative leaders and the governor called an inappropriate exchange of text messages with a teenaged girl, delivered his written resignation Thursday, a spokesman for the secretary of the state’s office said. It is effective on April 9.
The timing of the resignation rules out the selection of a successor before the 2018 session ends on May 9.
Arce’s resignation will reduce the Democratic majority in the 151-member House to 79. Republicans hold 71 seats. Arce has been absent from the State Capitol since promising to resign.
Arce’s letter to Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill makes no mention of the reason for the resignation, saying only, “I don’t want my presence to be a distraction to the very important work that occurs at the Capitol. I also do not want my family, friends, and supporters to be burdened in any way.”
The Hartford Courant first disclosed a series of texts that went from Arce’s Facebook messenger account three years ago to a teenaged girl.
Arce, who is single, won his first election to the House of Representatives in 2012 when he was endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee over incumbent Rep. Kelvin Roldan, easily defeating token Republican opposition.