The blue wave that swept through the state wasn’t as big as some had predicted, but anger over Donald Trump at the top of the Republican ticket helped Democrats gain seats in the state’s General Assembly, giving Governor Ned Lamont an even bigger majority to work with. Among the seats that flipped from red to blue was the 114th house district where Mary Welander became the first Democrat in 22 years to grab the seat. That’s because Republican House minority leader Themis Klarides decided not to run for reelection.
Klarides has been a part of Republican leadership at the capitol for years, and has clashed with both Democrats and Republicans who she says paid more attention to Trumpian talking points than Connecticut residents. She’s formed a political action committee that she says is meant to end one party rule in the state – and she seems to be a likely frontrunner for the party’s nomination for Governor in 2022. We talked last Friday while votes were still being counted in the presidential election, and as she was assessing how Republican fared in this year’s elections in the state.