Hartford lawmaker to leave state House and join Lamont reelection campaign
State Rep. Brandon McGee Jr., the outspoken co-chairman of the legislative Housing Committee and a top assistant to Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, will resign from the General Assembly to take a post with Gov. Ned Lamont’s reelection team.
The nine-year House veteran made the announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday, thanking his constituents in Hartford and Windsor for their support in addressing equity issues in housing, mental health, education, and criminal justice reform.
He will become the political director for the campaign, Campaign Manger
Dan Morrocco said Wednesday.
“As a member of the General Assembly, I have seen firsthand the work Governor Lamont has done to invest in our communities, grow our economy, and oversee the bestin-the-nation COVID response, paying particular care to those communities that have been hit hardest by the pandemic,” McGee wrote. “I have known Ned for years. I've walked the streets of Hartford with him. He is someone I believe in, and someone we must continue to support to move our state forward and keep moving in the right direction.”
McGee, who was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012, was an assistant majority whip for the 97-member Democratic caucus. During his term as chairman of the General Assembly’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus in 2020, he became a major voice for change in law enforcement transparency that led to wide-ranging legislation in the state’s response to the death of George Floyd that year at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Ritter said he will miss McGee in the House caucus.”I’m excited for Brandon, but I’m sad that we are losing a leader in the legislature,” Ritter said Wednesday. “Brandon’s voice rings loud and true, especially on issues like housing, police reform, and equity and justice.”
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on Wednesday
morning had not yet received McGee’s formal resignation.
Three other House members have resigned during the last year, including Patricia Billie Miller, of Stamford, who won a special election to the state Senate after Carlo Leone left to join the Lamont administration; Caroline Simmons, of Stamford, who recently won the mayoral election in her hometown; and Republican state Rep. Tony D’Amelio, of Waterbury, who recently resigned, citing family commitments and his restaurant businesses.
“We are thrilled to have Brandon joining our team," said Dan Morrocco, Lamont’s campaign manager. “A public servant with deep ties across the state, Brandon will be a welcome partner as we build on the progress of the past three years -growing our economy, keeping our communities safe and making historic investments in our state while overseeing the bestin-the-nation COVID response -- all without raising taxes.”