Dems Back Elliott; Watkins Readies Challenge

Hamden’s Democratic Party endorsed the reelection campaign of State Rep. Joshua Elliott — who now faces a primary that will put a focus on big-issue versus hyperlocal legislating on the ballot.

The endorsement came in a nominating convention held Tuesday evening via Zoom.

Elliott, who won his first term representing Hamden’s 88th state General Assembly District in 2016 after working on Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign and has emerged as a leader in Hartford of the party’s progressive wing, was originally also running for secretary of the state this year. He dropped out of that race.

Elliott received 17 out of 21 votes at Tuesday night’s convention. The other four went to a challenger, Joshua Watkins, the director of New Haven’s Community Soup Kitchen. (Read more about the two candidates in this article.) Watkins said he plans to petition his way onto the ballot for an Aug. 9 primary against Elliott for the seat.

Fellow Hamden State Rep. Mike D’Agostino, Mayor Lauren Garrett and Democratic Town Committee Secretary Sana Shah delivered nominating speeches in favor of Elliott’s reelection Tuesday night.

“He’s truly a champion of ideas,” Shah said, noting Elliott’s success in championing state laws that have now enabled incarcerated people to make free phones and legalized cannabis. Elliott also succeeded this term in helping to create a pilot program to use psilocybin to treat mental disorders and is working to pass ranked-choice voting and increase voting access.

“Josh’s ideas about our state aren’t inhibited by these messages — he knows Connecticut has more than enough to make sure that residents and communities have what they need to thrive,” Shah said.

D’Agostino recalled his own skepticism of Elliott when the Bernie Sanders organizer first decided to run for office.

“Who is this guy with all these big ideas?” D’Agostino recalled asking alongside his wife.

After he was elected, Elliott immediately started working towards prison reform, focusing on providing imprisoned individuals with free phone calls rather than paying inflated prices to a private contractor. 

“I thought, well there’s no way you’re gonna get this done, but good luck,” D’Agostino said. ​“A couple of years later, through sheer force of will, he got that done.”

Others spoke up to nominate Watkins, describing him as a high-energy, accessible community member with a hyperlocal focus.

DTC member Danielle Means supported Watkins’ concentration on combating food insecurity and lowering the price of living in Hamden.

“These are topics that are extremely important to the residents of Hamden,” she said. ​“These are things that we’re sitting down at our dinner tables to talk about, and Joshua Watkins is listening.”

“A lot of people feel that they’re disenfranchised, and he’s the voice for those people.”

Christine Whitten commented on the tragic shooting of a Texas elementary school that had taken place earlier that day.

“It’s all about kindness, compassion and generosity,” she said. ​“And that’s kind of how I view him. It all boils down to helping somebody get a meal.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support that I have this time around,” Elliott said. ​“It does feel strange,” he joked, given that for years the DTC chose to support other candidates over himself. He originally defeated a DTC-endorsed candidate to win the seat.

“I came into this six years ago with a big old ​‘F‑U’ headspace, and within a few years I realized that if I did my job well I could enact some incredible statewide change,” Elliott said.

He said he is work motivated by the question: ​“How can we be nationwide leaders on issues of equity, issues of fairness?”

After he spoke, Elliott and DTC Chair Sean Grace turned to nominate D’Agostino as the DTC candidate for Hamden’s 91st District.

While Elliott focuses on tackling ​“big, pressing issues,” Grace said, D’Agostino excels at ​“following up with his constituents” and securing resources for the town he represents. For example, D’Agostino led a successful effort to receive substantial state funds for Hamden this year, bringing back money to build a new fire house and renovate Hamden’s Keefe Community Center.

On a phone call with the Independent, Joshua Watkins said he plans to primary Elliott — and is aiming to serve as a middle ground between Elliott and D’Agostino.

“I continue to keep hearing that people need resources, and this is why I’m running for office,” he said. ​“The big picture is important, but it’s really important that we have constituent services in Hamden.”

In order to trigger a primary, Watkins must collect signatures from 5 percent of the 88th District’s 6,203 registered Democrats, which comes to 310. 

“Tomorrow I’m going to the Town Clerk’s office and pulling out papers. Then I’ll likely be turning in our signatures Friday morning,” he said.

“I respect the direction the DTC took,” he said. ​“But I have over 180 people who have donated — enough to qualify for the Citizen’s Election [public financing] Program. Even though my vote total said I got four votes, I know I have more support to keep moving forward.”

Watkins reported raising $7,000 from 175 donors so far, 150 of whom are Hamden residents. 

“We don’t have a dislike for each other,” he said of himself and Elliott. ​“This is real politics.”