Woodstock Resident Launches Campaign to Challenge Gordon in 35th Senate District
The race for the 35th State Senate District is beginning to take shape.
According to a press release sent to the Communicator in early April, Ethan Werstler (D-Woodstock) has officially announced his candidacy for the Connecticut State Senate, seeking to represent the 35th District, which is comprised of Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, and Woodstock. The seat is currently held by Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock), who was first elected in 2022 and is currently serving his second term in office. Gordon announced his re-election bid in January.
The general election is slated for Nov. 3, with primaries slated for Aug. 11, if necessary.
Werstler previously ran on the Democratic ticket for election to the Connecticut House of Representatives to represent the 52nd District (Stafford, Somers). He lost in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, to Republican Kurt Vail.
According to the release, Werstler is seeking to bring “deep roots in northeastern Connecticut to the practical agricultural, housing, small business, and rising cost concerns that are priorities for individuals and families in the region.”
Werstler is a “fourth-generation UConn graduate, [and] third-generation Woodstock resident.” He said he is “familiar with the challenges faced by the rural communities of our state,” is a “small business owner, an associate at a top government affairs firm in Hartford, and volunteers on the Board of Trustees of Woodstock’s Roseland Park.” He has served as a full voting member of the UConn Board of Trustees, is an advocate for residents facing food insecurity, and is a community leader.
“My campaign will not be about making noise. It is about listening, learning, and working hard to represent our citizens with integrity,” Werstler said. “I am energized by the residents I’ve already had the opportunity to meet, and I look forward to hearing from many more across the district.”
When Werstler officially announced his campaign, he did so while seeking to qualify for Connecticut’s Citizens’ Election Program, which requires small-dollar donations from residents in the district to secure public campaign funding. In an updated announcement on April 14, Werstler announced that he had achieved the $20,000 threshold in only three days, exceeding the required 300 in-district donations needed to qualify for the program.
The Connecticut Citizens Election Program is a voluntary program which provides clean elections financing to qualified candidates for statewide offices and the General Assembly. To qualify for public campaign financing, candidates must demonstrate substantial public support by soliciting small-dollar donations and raising $20,000. Candidates participating in the Connecticut Citizens Election Program may not accept donations from state contractors, political action committees, corporations or lobbyists during the legislative session.
Gordon confirmed in January that he had met the criteria to qualify, and looks forward to November.
“This is about the people of our district stepping up and saying they want a continued common-sense voice in Hartford and a state senator who understands what they’re going through,” Gordon said. “Costs are rising, access to medical care remains uneven, and families are looking for practical solutions, not D.C. rhetoric. I am proud to be that voice and work for the people of the district to get things done.”
Gordon, who is a Hematology-Oncology doctor, and said he has centered his legislative and campaign agenda on “lowering the cost of living; expanding access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities; protecting people’s rights to decide what’s best for their communities, not Hartford bureaucrats; and supporting public education.”
“At the Capitol, I’ve focused on the issues I hear about every day from patients, families, small business owners, and our towns,” he said. “That means making Connecticut more affordable, tackling healthcare costs and access, supporting our veterans, protecting our rights and freedoms, helping towns through more education and other funding, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and transparently.”
Gordon currently serves as Ranking Member on the Planning & Development Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and sits on the Appropriations, Public Health, and Public Safety Committees. He is a co-chair of the Rural Caucus.
Courtesy photos
Ethan Werstler (D-Woodstock, above) has announced his campaign for the Connecticut State Senate. Assuming no other challengers present themselves in a Democratic primary (which would be held Aug. 11), he will be looking to challenge incumbent Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock, below), who was elected to the office in 2022, and is currently serving in his second term. Gordon announced his re-election bid in January.
