Too close to call in 16th Senate Dem primary

Vickie Nardello’s for a return to Hartford will have to wait a little while longer

The veteran Democratic lawmaker from Prospect faced relative political newcomer Dagmara Scalise in Tuesday’s Democratic primary race for the 16th District state Senate seat.

As of 9:30 p.m, the race was too close to call. Earlier, Nardello said she wasn’t surprised that the result were incomplete at that point.

“We have 21 polling stations that have to report in, so it may take time,” she said. District 16 includes Prospect, Southington, Wolcott as well as parts of Cheshire and Waterbury.

Nardello served as state representative for the 89th district for 18 years before losing to Lezlye Zupkus in the November 2014 election.

The race for the 16th District Senate seat was set into motion when the Republican incumbent Sen. Joe Markley of Southington announced earlier this year that he was running for lieutenant governor. Rob Sampson, currently serving as a Republican state representative in the 80th District, is the Republican nominee for the 16th Senate district and will face the winner of the Nardello-Scalise race in November.

Scalise’s experience in politics was limited. She was appointed to serve on Southington’s Planning and Zoning Commission and lost a race last November to serve on that town’s Board of Finance. Scalise was the nominee coming out of the state Democratic Convention, but Nardello was able to get enough support to force a primary.

In another Democratic primary race that Cheshire voters had their say in, Mary Dougherty Abrams — a former teacher who was the party-endorsed candidate — squared off against Alex Tiktinsky in the 13th Senate district race. Although both are political newcomers, Abrams was leading Tiktinsky 308 to 66 with 4 percent of the precincts reporting late Tuesday.

Abrams will face Republican incumbent state Sen. Len Suzio in November if her lead holds up. The district includes voters in Meriden, Cheshire, Middletown and Middlefield