GOP’s Callahan secures 2nd term after defeating Democrat Ginsburg in 108th House District race
Republican Patrick Callahan will be sworn in for a second term as state representative after defeating Democratic challenger Jeff Ginsburg in the Tuesday race for Connecticut’s 108th House District seat.
Callahan — a longtime New Fairfield resident who worked in law enforcement for almost 30 years — has represented the 108th since defeating Democrat Dannette Onofrio in the 2020 election.
With 100 percent of votes tallied, unofficial election results from the Secretary of the State as of Wednesday showed Callahan with 5,942 votes and Ginsburg with 4,306.
“It took a long time for the results to come in, but I ended up winning by a really substantial margin, so I’m very happy with that,” Callahan said Wednesday afternoon. “Being that I worked hard in Hartford and worked hard campaigning, I was happy that it was such a large victory.”
Ginsburg — a Sherman resident of nearly 20 years with experience working in and with local organizations — said he may have lost, but it was a close race in his hometown.
“In my own town (Sherman), I lost by 57 votes,” he said Tuesday night, noting that New Fairfield was “the hardest nut to crack because that’s where (his) opponent’s from.”
Unofficial election results as of noon Wednesday showed Ginsburg lost New Fairfield by 1,385 votes. He received 105 fewer votes than Callahan in Danbury and 89 fewer votes in New Milford.
Although it’s too soon to say whether he will run again, Ginsburg said people are already encouraging him to.
“I’ve gotten some feedback from people, saying how it was a close race,” he said. “I can’t say that I’m definitely going to run again — it’s too early — but people are encouraging me already, particularly because I started so late and got so close.”
Ginsburg said he decided to run for several reasons, including to give back to the community and advocate on behalf of the common interests of the district’s towns.
If elected, he said he would have not only advocated for the formation of a commission focused on the “economic aspect” of Candlewood Lake but worked to help keep senior citizens in the area while keeping zoning regulations at the local level.
Callahan had said his top priorities as state representative will include Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond State Park, as well as working to reduce taxes and address juvenile crime.
As a result of recent changes to Connecticut’s voting district lines, Callahan will represent a slightly different 108th House District than he did prior — one with more New Fairfield constituents.
Beginning in 2023, New Fairfield’s southwestern corner — which currently belongs to the 138th House District — will become part of the 108th, joining all of Sherman, a section of western New Milford, and part of northern Danbury.