Democrat Joseph Crisco secured his 12th term in the state Senate Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Philip Tripp.
Crisco, 78, of Woodbridge, has served the 17th District since 1992. The district covers Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck and Woodbridge.
The race was a tight one. According to unofficial numbers, Crisco won by 2,495 votes, 15,275 to 12,780.
Crisco has high rank in the Senate as chief deputy president pro tempore and federal relations liaison. He is also chairman of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, vice chairman of the Banks and Commerce committees and a member of the Appropriations, Executive and Legislative Nominations and Legislature and Management committees.
Crisco is retired from United Technologies Corp., where he served as director of government affairs and national director of state and government affairs.
Tripp, 56, served in the United States Army and the National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after a 34-year career. He currently serves as the president of Ansonia’s Board of Aldermen.
He ran on a platform that weighed heavily on his belief in eliminating the Common Core curriculum in schools. And he wanted to lower taxes, saying he believed it would help improve the economy, which was also a major campaign talking point for him throughout the campaign.
