The big news of Election Day was not one but two Latinos were historically elected to the State Senate for the first time in 194 years. Bridgeport state Rep. Andres Ayala was widely expected to be elected but Middletown Republican Art Linares pulled off victory in a district formerly held by a Democrat.
In the 33rd Senate District, for an open seat, Republican Latino Art Linares defeated his Democrat and Green Party challengers by a comfortable margin, according to published reports. It may have been the strong showing by the Green Party at approximately 9 percent that helped Linares to victory, which is somewhat ironic because Linares runs a solar business that he started at the age of 19.
Ayala had an overwhelming win in the 23rd Senate District, according to unofficial results. That means come Jan. 2 he will be the first Latino Democrat to be elected to the State Senate. Ayala could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Linares, 23, is a third-generation Cuban American. “My grandfather still calls this the greatest country on earth,” he said in an earlier interview with CTLatinoNews.com. “It was the belief in the American Dream that inspired me to enter this race. It’s about starting from nothing and creating something. Every generation should have the opportunity to lead a better life than the generation before.”
Linares was part of a nationwide GOP Latino effort called the “Future Majority Project” first reported by CTLatinoNews.com, which…
Finish reading History Made Twice: Two Latinos Heading to Connecticut’s State Senate
