INCUMBENT REP. DEVIN CARNEY ENDORSED FOR 23RD HOUSE DISTRICT

Republican state Rep. Devin Carney has been endorsed by local Republicans to run for a fifth term representing the 23rd District in the state House of Representatives.

Carney was endorsed by Republicans from the district’s towns, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Lyme and Westbrook, at a May 17 convention at Old Lyme Town Hall. He was unopposed.

“Representing the 23rd District — the place where my family lives, where I was raised, where I went to school, where I work and volunteer — has truly been the honor of a lifetime,” Carney in a news release announcing his endorsement. “We’ve faced so many challenges together — with more ahead — and I am asking the voters of the district for another term to continue representing them with independence, diligence, and transparency. I have always put people above politics, and we need that mentality now more than ever.”

Carney was first elected to the state legislature in 2014. A news release announcing his candidacy in April painted him as a bipartisan, if not centrist, candidate. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans in the 23rd District.

Carney, 37, grew up in Old Saybrook and now lives in Old Lyme. He has bachelor’s degrees in political science and American studies from Brandeis University and works in finance. He is the ranking House member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, and serves on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding and Education committees.

“As long as I am State Representative, I will fight government overreach, forced regionalization, or any measures that will weaken the quality of our local schools,” he said in April. “Connecticut continues to remain unaffordable for many, and I will always oppose higher taxes on our seniors, families, and businesses. As Connecticut continues to come out of the fog of the (coronavirus) pandemic, it is essential that government works to give people a break and not to expand its size and scope even further.”

Carney has touted his record on the environment, noting he recently was named a board member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a nonpartisan network of state legislators that focuses on conservation and related issues.

Carney is opposed by Colin Heffernan, an attorney who lives in Old Saybrook and was unanimously endorsed by 23rd District Democrats.