Bethel Republican to run for 2nd House District seat

BETHEL — Republican Jenn Lewis has thrown her hat into the ring in the 2nd House District race.

The lifelong Bethel resident is running to be the next state representative of Bethel and Danbury’s 2nd district — a seat held by Democrat Raghib Allie-Brennan since 2019.

Allie-Brennan announced his run for a third term back in January. He couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

If elected, Lewis said she will bring change to Hartford by listening to constituents’ needs and fighting against state mandates that have failed to solve issues of the local community.

“We have all lived long enough with Hartford telling us how to live our lives and we need to make a change, and I will be that change,” she said.

Lewis is a mother of two Bethel public school children, has a decade of experience working as a behaviorist in special education and serves as operations director of a business she and her husband, Justin, run in Danbury.

She has also been active in local organizations, serving as Bethel Middle School’s

PTO secretary, a member of the Danbury Music Centre’s governing board and a member of the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation Council.

In addition to keeping the community affordable for longtime residents, Lewis said her top priorities include supporting education and first responders, as well as helping small businesses thrive.

Lewis said she grew up in a family that worked hard and did so with integrity, kindness and respect. Her mother worked for Danbury Public Schools for more than two decades, and her grandparents ran a family business.

“I sat alongside them proudly watching them work,” she said. “I learned that you extend your hand first because integrity matters, kindness matters, respect matters and people matter most importantly.”

Lewis said those are important values to her, and ones she strives to live by every day.

The 2nd House District will look a little different as a result of changes to Connecticut’s voting district lines. Following the 2022 legislative election, the district will encompass larger portions of Bethel and Danbury, but lose Redding and Newtown.