Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 is represented by Joe Gresko (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Connecticut state representatives represented an average of 23,896 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 23,719 residents.
About the office
Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits.[1] Connecticut legislators assume office the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election.[2]
Qualifications
Article III, Section 4 of the Connecticut Constitution states: "The house of representatives shall consist of not less than one hundred twenty-five and not more than two hundred twenty-five members, each of whom shall have attained the age of twenty-one years and be an elector residing in the assembly district from which he is elected."[3]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $40,000/year | No per diem is paid. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Connecticut General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happens. All special elections must be held no later than 46 days after a governor's declaration. If the vacancy occurs between the 125th day and the 49th day before the day of the regular election, the special election will be held on the same day as the general election. If a vacancy occurs after the 49th day before the general election but before the Wednesday following the first Monday of January of the next-succeeding year, the governor shall not call a special election unless the vacant position is that of a member-elect.[5]
See sources: Connecticut Gen. Stat. § 9-215
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
The Connecticut Reapportionment Commission voted 8-0 in favor of new maps for the state's 151 House districts and 36 Senate districts on November 18 and November 23, 2021, respectively.[6][7] The commission, made up of four Democratic lawmakers, four Republican lawmakers, and a ninth member selected by the commissioners, took over the redistricting process after the previous Reapportionment Committee failed to meet its Sept. 15 deadline to select maps and win two-thirds approval from both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly.[8] Census data was not delivered until Sept. 16. Unlike the committee, maps prepared by the Reapportionment Commission did not need to win approval from the General Assembly.[9] This map took effect for Connecticut's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Connecticut work? In Connecticut, the state legislature is primarily responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Maps must be approved by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. If the state legislature is unable to approve new maps, a backup commission is convened to draw congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The commission consists of nine members. The four legislative leaders (i.e., the majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the legislature) appoint two members each. The ninth member is selected by the eight previously selected commissioners.[10][11]
The Connecticut Constitution requires that all districts, whether congressional or state legislative, be contiguous. In addition, state House districts must "not divide towns except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements."[12]
Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
until January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
starting January 4, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Connecticut House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
Incumbent Joe Gresko defeated Rafael Irizarry in the general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Gresko (D) | 66.5 | 6,572 |
 | Rafael Irizarry (R) | 33.5 | 3,317 | |
| Total votes: 9,889 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Joe Gresko advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Rafael Irizarry advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
2022
General election
General election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
Incumbent Joe Gresko defeated Greg Burnes in the general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Gresko (D) | 65.2 | 4,106 |
| Greg Burnes (R) | 34.8 | 2,195 | ||
| Total votes: 6,301 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kerrigan Cotter (R)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Joe Gresko advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Kerrigan Cotter advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
2020
General election
General election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
Incumbent Joe Gresko defeated Edward Scinto in the general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Gresko (D) | 69.3 | 7,303 |
| Edward Scinto (R) | 30.7 | 3,235 | ||
| Total votes: 10,538 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Joe Gresko advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Edward Scinto advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121.
2018
General election
General election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121
Incumbent Joe Gresko defeated Robert Mitchell in the general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Gresko (D) | 70.3 | 5,376 |
| Robert Mitchell (R) | 29.7 | 2,274 | ||
| Total votes: 7,650 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
General election
Elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.
Incumbent Joe Gresko ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 general election.[13]
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 121 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Joe Gresko Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of the State | ||
Incumbent Joe Gresko ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 Democratic primary.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 121 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Joe Gresko Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Jason Santi ran unopposed in the Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 Republican primary.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 121 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jason Santi (unopposed) | |
Special election
A special election for the position of Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 was called for February 2. The filing deadline to run in this election was December 28.[14]
The seat was vacant following the death of Terry Backer (D) on December 14, 2015, from brain cancer.[15]
Joe Gresko (D) defeated Susan Barksdale (R) in the special election.[16][17]
2014
Elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 10, 2014. Incumbent Terry Backer was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Richard Fredete was unopposed in the Republican primary. Backer defeated Fredete in the general election.[18][19]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Terry Backer Incumbent |
71.5% | 3,893 | |
| Republican | Richard Fredete | 28.5% | 1,552 | |
| Total Votes | 5,445 | |||
2012
Elections for the office of Connecticut House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 12, 2012. A total of 151 seats were up for election in 2012. Incumbent Terry Backer defeated Joe Crudo (R) in the general election. Both candidates ran unopposed in the August 14 primary elections.[20] [21]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Terry Backer Incumbent |
72.6% | 5,919 | |
| Republican | Joe Crudo | 27.4% | 2,231 | |
| Total Votes | 8,150 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 raised a total of $644,017. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $26,834 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Connecticut House of Representatives District 121 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $84,465 | 2 | $42,233 |
| 2022 | $76,393 | 3 | $25,464 |
| 2020 | $72,790 | 2 | $36,395 |
| 2018 | $52,170 | 2 | $26,085 |
| 2016 | $33,355 | 1 | $33,355 |
| 2014 | $66,448 | 2 | $33,224 |
| 2012 | $64,000 | 2 | $32,000 |
| 2010 | $62,389 | 2 | $31,195 |
| 2008 | $31,907 | 1 | $31,907 |
| 2006 | $19,555 | 2 | $9,778 |
| 2004 | $21,779 | 1 | $21,779 |
| 2002 | $43,091 | 2 | $21,546 |
| 2000 | $15,675 | 2 | $7,838 |
| Total | $644,017 | 24 | $26,834 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Length of terms of Connecticut State Senators," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut Constitution, "Article Three, Section 10," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Constitution of the State of Connecticut - Article 3, Section 4," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Connecticut General Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 9-215(a), Connecticut General Statutes)
- ↑ News 12 Connecticut, "CT Reapportionment Commission unanimously votes to approve new statewide house district map," Nov. 18, 2021
- ↑ CT News Junkie, "Redistricting Commission Tweaks Senate Map," Nov. 23, 2021
- ↑ The ninth member only votes in the event of a tie.
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed Oct. 12, 2021
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Connecticut," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut Constitution, "Article XXVI, Section 2.b," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Who draws the lines?" accessed March 25, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Election Night Reporting, 2016 General Election," accessed December 14, 2016
- ↑ The Register Citizen, "Special election planned in February for open Connecticut House seat," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Legislators Mourn Death of Rep. Terry Backer - the Soundkeeper," December 15, 2015
- ↑ stratfordstar.com, "Republicans choose Barksdale," December 27, 2015
- ↑ The CT Mirror, "Democrat wins special election for Backer’s seat," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official primary and general election results," accessed November 26, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," October 29, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary," October 29, 2013
