Orosco Formally Enters Ring To Run For State Senate

Republican Steve Orosco made it official Friday: He’s campaigning for the Republican nomination to challenge 15-term incumbent Democrat Martin Looney for the 11th State Senate District seat. 

Republicans will gather in May at a convention to make a formal nomination.

Orosco, a Morris Cove-based mixed-martial arts impresario, made the announcement in a release issued Friday; read the full release below. Click here to read a previous article about the race, including remarks from Looney, who serves as president of the State Senate.

The text of Orosco’s release follows:

New Haven businessman Steve Orosco (R) formally announced today his campaign for State Senate in Connecticut. Orosco will challenge incumbent Senator Martin Looney (D) in his 16th term.

View Orosco’s campaign website here. www.steveorosco.com

A successful/dynamic entrepreneur and businessman, Orosco says he ​“brings huge energy and a fresh perspective desperately needed in Connecticut’s 11th District, currently represented by a career politician.”

Orosco’s roots in the region give him an intimate understanding of the 11th District’s challenges, from skyrocketing unemployment, inflation, and violence, to plummeting education quality and broken family structures. 

I joined this race because I have listened and heard the fears of family, neighbors, (businesses) and community. Our streets have become so dangerous that children can’t walk home from school. In New Haven alone, our crime index is almost 94% more dangerous than the rest of America. 

94 percent! On top of that, our schools have fallen 92 percent below the national average. These are stunning statistics. Connecticut, you deserve so much better. This has to change immediately. Someone needs to step up and fight for our District’s very life. I’m extremely confident that I can can deliver positive results and a brighter future for the ever failing leadership within District 11 .

Steve Orosco is the son of a Trinidadian-born blue-collar worker Ricardo, and Heather, a fifth-generation American and a Yale Masters graduate in Medical Science. ​“I am the melting pot of America. I am half black, half white, self-employed and highly educated. The son of an immigrant, I was taught the value of hard, honest work; the son of an educator, I learned how to learn, listen, and effectively apply knowledge – all profound values that have strengthened my conviction that running for the State Senate is how I will make the greatest difference.”

Orosco attended public school in Newport, Rhode Island, then Pace University, NYC where he earned two Bachelor degrees — in Finance and Marketing, followed by two Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Science Management at New Haven’s Albertus Magnus College.

Orosco brings a remarkable set of diverse experiences to the campaign – from finance acumen to athletic triumph. During his early career as financial advisor with the Barnum Financial Group in Shelton, Connecticut, Orosco managed private equity portfolios, earning him accolades and awards. At the same time, as a lifelong competitive athlete, he turned professional in the sport of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), where he captured a remarkable 8 – 1 record. 

In 2015, Orosco launched his own professional MMA league and a lifestyle brand called SMASH Global ( www.smashglobal.com ). He went on to expand the organization’s reach by founding SMASH For Troops, a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization that focuses on PTSD by creating veteran-based empowerment programs.

“As a successful businessman and professional athlete, I know what it takes to get a good job done. Focus, determination, commitment, and a lot of hard deep work. That, and to have the personal qualities that inspires those values in others – in a team. In a community. 

“It is evident in the 11th District that after 15/16 terms, there is a shallow complacency. Our education, our public safety, is failing us. Homelessness is on the rise. Taxes are on the rise. And good governance doesn’t mean more money burdens bestowed on its citizens. It means more participation, transparency, and responsibility. It means more concrete action empowered by deep listening, deep work, and loving your people in order to serve them better.”

The 11th District needs a fighter not (a long-time politician) where after 15 terms, shallow complacency becomes so evident. Our education, our public safety, is failing us. Homelessness is on the rise. Taxes are on the rise. But good governance doesn’t mean more money. It means more participation, transparency, responsibility. It means more action from my generation – concrete, dynamic action that comes from having listened to the individuals, corporations, and the society of today. ​“Action that comes out of really loving your people in order to serve them better.” It’s time for more public service and less self-service, which is the very fabric of what our Government should provide for its citizens.

Come on! How can families survive?!” The poverty rate in New Haven is a staggering 25% and Connecticut is ranked number 1 in the highest overall increase of poverty since 1990. This is due to failed leadership and the constant increase in taxes that hurt the pockets of working class families.

“I am a business owner. A husband, a parent of two. I hear you. We need to know that our children are safe and educated and that we can put food on the table. These are long-known challenges we truly have to face – now – full contact. NHB. No holds barred. It’s time. I am ready to District 11 in the most powerful, effective way that I can. Everything in my life has led up to this moment.”

“Join me. It’s time we turn on the switch for a new chapter for Connecticut’s 11th District.”