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Matt Lesser

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Matt Lesser
Member of the Connecticut Senate
from the 9th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byPaul Doyle
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 100th district
In office
January, 2009 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byRaymond Kalinowski
Succeeded byQuentin Phipps
Personal details
Born (1983-04-29) April 29, 1983 (age 41)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWesleyan University (incomplete)

Matthew L. Lesser is an American politician who represents the 9th district in the Connecticut State Senate. First elected to the State House in 2008, Lesser was re-elected in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. In 2020 he was re-elected as state senator for the 9th district, winning 55.6% of the vote.[1] Lesser unsuccessfully ran for Connecticut's Secretary of the State in 2022, failing to receive the Democratic Party of Connecticut's endorsement of his candidacy.[2]

Political career

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Early years

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In 2006, Lesser was the President of the College Democrats as an undergraduate student at Wesleyan University.[citation needed]

Lesser was elected as Chairman of the Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission.[3]

State House

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On May 20, 2008, Lesser, then a student at Wesleyan University, was selected to run as the second youngest candidate for State Representative at the Democratic 100th District Convention.[4][5] Lesser received the endorsement of then-Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, who once held the 100th District State representative seat.[6] Lesser also received support from State Senator Tom Gaffey and Middletown DTC Chairman Dan Russo.[7] Lesser defeated three-term incumbent Ray Kalinowski.[8][9]

In the state House, Lesser served as the chairman of the Banking Committee. Additionally, he sat on the Government Administration and Elections and Insurance and Real Estate Committees.[10]

Since taking office in 2009, Lesser has written and passed a number of laws, including Connecticut's first in the nation Student Loan Bill of Rights,[11] an act prohibiting fracking waste from being dumped in Connecticut,[12] and updated workplace safety standards.[10] An advocate of voting rights, Lesser considered running for Connecticut secretary of state in 2018 and formed an exploratory committee, but said he would only run if Denise W. Merrill did not seek election.[13][14]

In 2012, Lesser was elected to the Democratic Party's National Platform Committee.[15]

State Senate

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Lesser announced a run for state senator in May 2018.[16] He won the August 2018 primary against former state representative Antonio Guerrera.[17] The general election featured some controversy when the campaign of Republican candidate Ed Charamut sent our a mailer to voters attacking Lesser, featuring an altered image of Lesser clutching $100 bills; the mailer garnered national media attention and was denounced for its use of antisemitic tropes.[18][19] Lesser won the general election in November and was appointed as Senate Chairman of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee in the following month.[20][21]

As a state senator, Lesser has written laws to guarantee mental health parity,[22] expand access to epinephrine devices and EpiPens in public venues,[23] and to cap the cost of insulin at $25, the lowest such cap in the United States.[24] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesser wrote a law expanding access to telehealth.[25]

During the 2019 legislative session, Lesser championed a health care reform effort to create a public health insurance option in the state of Connecticut (dubbed "the Connecticut Option").[26][27] He overseeing the bill from his position as co-chair when it passed out of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee.[27] The bill also passed the House Appropriations Committee on a 29–19 vote.[26] The effort ultimately failed amid opposition from health insurers.[28]

Criticism as State Senator

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Senator Matt Lesser, a member of the Connecticut Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (BPRC) since 2013, faced calls for removal from the caucus due to a controversial decision involving funding for Capital Preparatory Charter School (CPREP).[29][30] On January 14, 2024, an online petition initiated by Black community leaders criticized Lesser for withdrawing funding for CPREP, which was intended to be Middletown’s first charter school. The funds, initially allocated by the Appropriations Committee, were abruptly removed on the last day of the 2023 legislative session, 'precisely at 11:48pm'. [31]

The petition, led by Gwen Samuel, argues that Lesser’s actions undermine educational opportunities for vulnerable children in Middletown, questioning his suitability to remain in the BPRC: 'Both the statewide NAACP and its Middlesex County chapter called the decision a “racist,” “back-door” and “11th-hour” effort to limit educational options for Black and brown children and their families.'[32] The NAACP and Middlesex County Chapter condemned the funding withdrawal as discriminatory and criticized Lesser and Senator Jan Hochadel for obstructing the school’s progress. The Hartford Courant reported the following: “Despite doing everything possible, the right way, we had meetings with legislators who could never give us a ‘why’ [the school isn’t being funded],” said Anita Ford Saunders, the president of the Middlesex County NAACP, who later added that the school was blocked by Sen. Matt Lesser and Sen. Jan Hochadel, two lawmakers who represent Middletown.[33]

This controversy was connected to Lesser's previous political maneuvers.[34]

During Senator Lesser's election bid for Secretary of the State in 2022, he faced backlash for attempting to change the order of balloting at the Democratic State Convention in the final hours. He pushed to have his race listed at the top rather than the end, a strategic move driven by the belief that his chances of endorsement might diminish if several white male candidates were considered before him. Notably, two leading contenders for the endorsement were women of color, and the eventual nominee was Stephanie Thomas, the current Secretary of State.[35]

In another controversial move, Sen. Lesser openly supported Aaron Regunberg, a Congressional candidate from Rhode Island.[36] At the time, Regunberg was under scrutiny from his own party for his record on supporting women, particularly women of color. A group of six progressive members from the Rhode Island Democratic Party publicly criticized Regunberg, citing a history of 'bullying and threats' against women.[37]

Personal life

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Lesser lives in Middletown's North End with his wife Sarah, their son, and their dog Lucy.[10]

Electoral history

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Lesser withdrew his name from the 2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election after failing to receive the Democratic Party of Connecticut's endorsement of his candidacy.[2]

Elections for State House

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Connecticut 100th House District Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Raymond C. Kalinowski *(incumbent) 5,787 48.3
Democratic Matt Lesser 6,186 51.7
Connecticut 100th House District Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Swewczyk 4,433 48.2
Democratic Matt Lesser* 4,756 51.8
Connecticut 100th House District Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Deborah A. Kleckowksi 3,057 31.4
Democratic Matt Lesser* 6, 677 68.6
Connecticut 100th House District Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Matt Lesser* 4,558 63
Republican Angel R. Fernandez 2,138 29.6
Working Families Matt Lesser 537 7.4
Connecticut 100th House District Election, 2016 [38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Matt Lesser* 6,417 62.61
Republican Anthony R.J. Moran 3,136 30.60
Working Families Matt Lesser 696 6.79

Elections for State Senate

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Connecticut 9th Senate District Election, 2018[39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Matt Lesser 22,724 54.22
Republican Ed Charamut 17,674 42.15
Working Families Matt Lesser 1,519 3.62
Connecticut 9th Senate District Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Matt Lesser *(incumbent) 29,473 54.85
Republican Richie Ruglio 21,609 40.22
Independent Richie Ruglio 1,139 2.12
Working Families Matt Lesser*
Connecticut 9th Senate District Election, 2022[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Matt Lesser* 19,593 52.94
Republican Lisa J. Marotta 16,440 44.42
Working Families Matt Lesser 632 1.71
Independent Matt Lesser 346 0.93

References

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  1. ^ a b "Connecticut State Senate elections, 2022". Ballotpedia.org.
  2. ^ a b Putterman, Alex. (May 10, 2022.). ""Matt Lesser drops out of CT secretary of the state race after missing Democratic endorsement."". CTInsider. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Olivia Drake, Lesser '10 State Rep. Elect for Middletown, Wesleyan University (November 11, 2008).
  4. ^ "Convention Updates". 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  5. ^ "06459 › Matt Lesser '10 State Representative [Wesleyan University]". Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  6. ^ "Susan Bysiewicz at 100th House District Convention". YouTube. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-06-15.[dead YouTube link]
  7. ^ "Matt Lesser Nominated in 100th District". Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  8. ^ "Candidate Cites His Experience". The Baltimore Sun. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  9. ^ "Stay With Ray". The Town Times. 2008-06-13. pp. 8 & 20. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  10. ^ a b c "Biography". 17 December 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  11. ^ "State Representative Matthew Lesser". www2.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  12. ^ "No fracking in Connecticut, but what about its waste?". Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Middletown's state Rep. Matt Lesser considering bid for Connecticut secretary of state in 2018". Middletown Press. April 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Cassandra Day, Connecticut state Rep. Matt Lesser raises $58,000 for possible 2018 secretary of the state bid, New Haven Register (July 7, 2017).
  15. ^ "Drew, Lesser named to Democratic Party leadership posts". New Haven Register. August 9, 2012.
  16. ^ Staff, Press (2018-05-23). "Middletown state Rep. Lesser running for 9th District Senate". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  17. ^ Beals, Shawn R. "Matt Lesser Wins Democratic 9th Senate Primary". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  18. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (2018-10-30). "Political Mailer Prompts Charges of Anti-Semitism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  19. ^ Rosenberg, Eli (October 31, 2018). "Republican mailer depicts a Jewish candidate gripping cash and grinning. The GOP is no longer defending it". Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  20. ^ Beals, Shawn R. "Lesser Wins 9th Senate District In Race That Gained National Attention For Anti-Semitism Charges". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  21. ^ Ramirez, Hector (2018-12-27). "Senator-Elect Matt Lesser appointed to Co-Chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee". WTNH. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  22. ^ Carlesso, Jenna (2019-07-19). "Mental health parity bill signed into law". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  23. ^ Staff, Press (2019-07-07). "New CT law makes epinephrine devices, EpiPens available in public venues". Middletown Press. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  24. ^ "Co-Pays for Insulin and Diabetes Medications Capped at $25 in Connecticut".
  25. ^ "Senator Lesser Leads Passage of Telehealth and Insulin Bills".
  26. ^ a b Staff, Press (2019-05-03). "Connecticut lawmakers celebrate health care public option bill". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  27. ^ a b "Public option health insurance bills clear committee". The CT Mirror. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  28. ^ Shefali Luthra, Insurers Sank Connecticut's 'Public Option.' Would A National Version Survive?, KHN (March 4, 2020).
  29. ^ Otte, Emilia (2023-03-13). "Capital Prep Wins Approval, But Matt Lesser Says Charter School Still has 'Work to Do'". CT Examiner. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  30. ^ Courant, Deidre Montague | Hartford (2023-06-05). "CT NAACP, others push for funding for Middletown charter school, as 'where you live matters'". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  31. ^ Portfolio, Meghan (2024-01-22). "Black Leaders Call for Sen. Lesser's Removal from Black and Puerto Rican Caucus". Yankee Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  32. ^ Mirror, Jessika Harkay | CT (2023-06-09). "Two of four proposed CT charter schools left out of state budget". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  33. ^ Mirror, Jessika Harkay | CT (2023-06-09). "Two of four proposed CT charter schools left out of state budget". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  34. ^ Portfolio, Meghan (2024-01-22). "Black Leaders Call for Sen. Lesser's Removal from Black and Puerto Rican Caucus". Yankee Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  35. ^ Portfolio, Meghan (2024-01-22). "Black Leaders Call for Sen. Lesser's Removal from Black and Puerto Rican Caucus". Yankee Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  36. ^ Portfolio, Meghan (2023-06-23). "While the Governor is Away, the Progressives Play". Yankee Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  37. ^ Portfolio, Meghan (2024-01-22). "Black Leaders Call for Sen. Lesser's Removal from Black and Puerto Rican Caucus". Yankee Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  38. ^ "Connecticut 100th District State House Results: Matt Lesser Wins". The New York Times. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  39. ^ Beals, Shawn R. "Lesser Wins 9th Senate District In Race That Gained National Attention For Anti-Semitism Charges". courant.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
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