John Kissel

John Kissel

Republican Party

Connecticut State Senate District 7

Tenure

1993 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

32

Compensation

Base salary

$40,000/year

Per diem

$No per diem is paid.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Connecticut, 1981

Law

Western New England School of Law, 1984

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

John Kissel (Republican Party) is a member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 7. He assumed office in 1993. His current term ends on January 6, 2027.

Kissel (Republican Party, Independent Party) ran for re-election to the Connecticut State Senate to represent District 7. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Kissel earned his B.S. from the University of Connecticut School of Education in 1981, his J.D. from Western New England College School of Law in 1984 and his B.A. in Liberal Arts and Science and History from the University of Connecticut in 2002. His professional experience includes working as an attorney for Fallon, Barbieri and Gilcreast, Practicing Consultants, Adjunct Professor at Bay Path College and Corporate Attorney for Northeast Utilities.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Kissel was assigned to the following committees:

• General Law Committee
• Judiciary Committee, Ranking Member
• Legislative Regulation Review Committee, Co-Chair

2021-2022

Kissel was assigned to the following committees:

• General Law Committee, Member
• Judiciary Committee, Ranking Member
• Legislative Regulation Review Committee, Vice Chair
• Transportation Committee, Member

2019-2020

Kissel was assigned to the following committees:

• General Law Committee
• Judiciary Committee, Ranking Member
• Transportation Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kissel served on the following committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2015
• Appropriations
• General Law
• Judiciary, Ranking Member
• Program Review and Investigations, Ranking Member

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Kissel served on the following committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2013
• General Law
• Judiciary, Ranking Member
• Legislative Management
• Program Review and Investigations, Chairman

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kissel served on these committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2011
• General Law
• Judiciary, Ranking Member
• Legislative Management
• Program Review and Investigations, Ranking Member

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Kissel served on these committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2009
• General Law
• Judiciary
• Program Review and Investigations

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Connecticut State Senate District 7

Incumbent John Kissel defeated Cynthia Mangini in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kissel (R / Independent Party)	54.4	28,277
	Submit photo	Cynthia Mangini (D / Working Families Party)	45.6	23,679

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51,956
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7

Cynthia Mangini defeated Nathan Wolliston in the Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Cynthia Mangini	66.0	1,656
	Submit photo	Nathan Wolliston	34.0	852

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,508
= 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.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent John Kissel advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kissel in this election.

2022

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Connecticut State Senate District 7

Incumbent John Kissel defeated Cynthia Mangini in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 7 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kissel (R / Independent Party)	57.0	22,223
	Submit photo	Cynthia Mangini (D / Working Families Party)	43.0	16,757

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,980
= 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. Cynthia Mangini advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent John Kissel advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7.

2020

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Connecticut State Senate District 7

Incumbent John Kissel defeated Frederick Moffa in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 7 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kissel (R / Independent Party)	54.0	28,327
		Frederick Moffa (D / Working Families Party)	46.0	24,144

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,471
= 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. Frederick Moffa advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent John Kissel advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut State Senate District 7.

2018

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2018

In addition to running as a Republican Party candidate, Kissel cross-filed to also run with the Independent Party in 2018.

General election

General election for Connecticut State Senate District 7

Incumbent John Kissel defeated Annie Hornish in the general election for Connecticut State Senate District 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kissel (R)	54.4	22,004
		Annie Hornish (D)	45.6	18,476

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,480
= 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

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate 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 John Kissel defeated Annie Hornish in the Connecticut State Senate District 7 general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Kissel Incumbent	60.91%	28,651
	Democratic	Annie Hornish	39.09%	18,388
Total Votes				47,039
Source: Connecticut Secretary of the State

Annie Hornish ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 7 Democratic primary.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Annie Hornish  (unopposed)

Incumbent John Kissel ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 7 Republican primary.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	John Kissel Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate 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. John Foxx was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent John A. Kissell was unopposed in the Republican primary. Kissel defeated Foxx in the general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Kissel Incumbent	69.5%	22,160
	Democratic	John Foxx	30.5%	9,704
Total Votes				31,864

2012

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2012

Kissel ran in the 2012 election for Connecticut State Senate District 7. Kissel ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012. He defeated Karen Jamoc (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012. Elizabeth Traceski ran as a write-in candidate.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John A. Kissel Incumbent	50.6%	22,182
	Democratic	Karen Jamoc	49.4%	21,674
Total Votes				43,856

2010

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2010

Kissel ran for re-election to the 7th District seat in 2010. He had no primary opposition. He defeated Karen M. Jarmoc (D) in the November 2 general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
John Kissel (R)		17,272
Karen M. Jarmoc (D)		16,286

2008

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Kissel won re-election to the 7th District Seat in the Connecticut State Senate, defeating George Colli (D).

Connecticut State Senate, District 7 (2008)
Candidates		Votes
John Kissel (R)		22,045
George Colli (D)		19,870

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Kissel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

John Kissel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

John Kissel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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John Kissel campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Connecticut State Senate District 7	Won general	$16,690	$5,622
2022	Connecticut State Senate District 7	Won general	$124,651	$129,397
2020	Connecticut State Senate District 7	Won general	$121,633	N/A**
2018	Connecticut State Senate District 7	Won general	$112,360	N/A**
2016	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$111,409	N/A**
2014	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$110,360	N/A**
2012	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$107,587	N/A**
2010	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$99,265	N/A**
2008	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$90,983	N/A**
2006	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$60,588	N/A**
2004	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$22,060	N/A**
2002	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$21,075	N/A**
2000	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$16,320	N/A**
1998	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$8,350	N/A**
1996	Connecticut State Senate, District 7	Won	$60,949	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Connecticut

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Connecticut scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Connecticut State Legislature was in session from February 7 to May 8. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut Business & Industry Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Connecticut State Legislature was in session from January 4 to June 7. Connecticut Business & Industry Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Connecticut State Legislature was in session from February 9 to May 4. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut Business & Industry Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Connecticut Citizen Action Group Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Family Institute of Connecticut Action: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].
In 2021, the Connecticut State Legislature was in session from January 6 to June 9. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Connecticut State Legislature was in session from February 5 to May 6. The legislature held a special session from July 21 to July 27. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 9 through June 5. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Yankee Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to limiting taxes and encouraging free market activity.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 7 to May 9. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 4 through June 7. The legislature held a veto session on July 24. The legislature held its first special session on July 31. The legislature held its second special session from September 14 to September 16. The legislature held another special session on October 3. State lawmakers held their fourth special session from October 25 to October 26. The legislature met again in special session from November 14 to November 15. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 3 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from May 12-13 to pass the state budget. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].
In 2015, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 7 through June 3. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].
In 2014, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 5 to May 7. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].
In 2013, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 9 to June 5. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2013. If you are aware of one, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org to let us know.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 8 to May 9. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Yankee Institute's Voter Guide Each member of the Connecticut General Assembly receives a score from 0 to 10 based on how he or she voted on ten votes."

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kissel and his wife, Cynthia, have two children.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Connecticut State Senate District 7

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Connecticut State Senate District 7

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Connecticut State Senate District 7 1993-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Connecticut State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Bob Duff

Minority Leader:Stephen Harding

Senators

District 1

John Fonfara (D)

District 2

Douglas McCrory (D)

District 3

Saud Anwar (D)

District 4

MD Rahman (D)

District 5

Derek Slap (D)

District 6

Rick Lopes (D)

District 7

John Kissel (R)

District 8

Paul Honig (D)

District 9

Matthew Lesser (D)

District 10

Gary Winfield (D)

District 11

Martin Looney (D)

District 12

Christine Cohen (D)

District 13

Jan Hochadel (D)

District 14

James Maroney (D)

District 15

Joan Hartley (D)

District 16

Robert Sampson (R)

District 17

Jorge Cabrera (D)

District 18

Heather Somers (R)

District 19

Catherine Osten (D)

District 20

Martha Marx (D)

District 21

Jason Perillo (R)

District 22

Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox (D)

District 23

Herron Gaston (D)

District 24

Julie Kushner (D)

District 25

Bob Duff (D)

District 26

Ceci Maher (D)

District 27

Patricia Miller (D)

District 28

Tony Hwang (R)

District 29

Mae Flexer (D)

District 30

Stephen Harding (R)

District 31

Henri Martin (R)

District 32

Eric Berthel (R)

District 33

Norm Needleman (D)

District 34

Paul Cicarella (R)

District 35

Jeff Gordon (R)

District 36

Ryan Fazio (R)

Democratic Party (25)

Republican Party (11)