State Senator from District 11 tries to make it 16 terms

For the last 29 years, the Connecticut State Senate has had a rock in place in its 11th district. That rock is Senator Martin Looney. The New Haven resident, professor of political science at Quinnipiac University, and incumbent Democrat in office has been a part of the Connecticut State Senate for 4 different decades spreading from the 1990s to the 2020s. In 2003, Looney was elected as the Senate Majority Leader, a position he held onto for 12 years. In 2015 looney moved from being the Senate Majority Leader to being the President pro tempore of the Connecticut State Senate. Looney has held this position for the past 7 years as he enters another election cycle.

Looney’s seat is up for challenge this year as he seems poised to win yet another election. This year the main challenger is New Haven businessman Steve Orosco. Orosco officially threw his hat in the ring on Friday, April 8th. Orosco is challenging the 15-term incumbent on the grounds of being a young and energetic politician, seemingly trying to be the opposite of Looney who is older and not as charismatic.

Orosco’s main platform of interest is the New Haven and Hamden crime problems. In a release, Orosco stated “I joined this race because I have listened and heard the fears of family, neighbors, (businesses) and community. Our streets have become so dangerous that children can’t walk home from school. In New Haven alone, our crime index is almost 94% more dangerous than the rest of America.” Later in the statement, he even took a shot at Looney saying “The 11th District needs a fighter not (a long-time politician) where after 15 terms, shallow complacency becomes so evident.”

Looney, however, should have nothing to worry about if this election cycle is like his previous 15. Looney is still on track to win his senate seat back which would officially make him a 16-term senator.