Last Updated on October 22, 2026 by Matthew Hallock

Emily Hau, Jennifer Leeper, Lisa Miro, Cristin McCarthy Vahey, Ken Astarita and Sarah Keitt debate as they jockey to win their CT Legislative Reps races.

Transcript:

Emily Hau: I think it’s an issue of transparency for all of us. Um I have a a group of neighbors that we’ve put together to negotiate heating oil and we have saved a lot without sacrificing anything. I think we need to be smart about how we use our resources and and without really changing a thing, just being a little more judicious and smarter about how we spend our money, we can find tremendous savings without losing anything. and experience to Hartford and I will be willing to work with anyone regardless of party affiliation who wants to collaborate on solving the problems that we face here in Connecticut. Thank you and thank you for keeping my time tonight.

Thank you, Miss

Sarah Keitt: Thank you. I want to again thank the league for hosting this event and to my colleagues for being willing to sit up here and answer these difficult questions. Um, you’re going to hear a lot this election cycle uh from the other side that Donald Trump is not on the ballot. But what is on the ballot is the effect of his policies on Connecticut and how each and every one of us is proposing to address those challenges. Um, government exists to serve the people. It exists to provide collective goods to uphold rights and ensure justice and maintain social infrastructure. All of which are inherently unprofitable. We’re obligated to serve everybody, including our vulnerable and our most high cost residents. Trump’s cuts have decimated our state budget. His withholding of millions of dollars in clean energy grants and his blocking of revolutionary revolution wind is going to cost Great between 150 to $200 million in public benefits charges. his reduction [laughter] in Medicaid costs and Medicaid uh eligibility is we’re we’re projected to lose 8.3 billion dollars. And I did not hear any possible solutions or um addressing this issue from some of my colleagues up here. These are real issues that will affect your bottom line when your health care costs go up. And um we’re he’s canceled over 10 million funds up. Well, my time is up. I could go on and on, but thank you all for being here and uh for paying attention tonight. Thank you.

Lisa Miro: Good evening. Again, I want to thank the League of Women Voters for hosting this all my fellow candidates here. Um so, I just want to say throughout my years of service, I’ve done a lot. I’ve worked with both Democratic and Republican mayors. I enjoy working across the aisle. I believe that’s what we all should be doing. Um, I don’t necessarily want to bring in the Trump uh national politics. Of course, we all know how government works, but I want to focus on the state of Connecticut, which is affecting our town. Um, I do believe that we need more transparency. We need more accountability. I want to know what is being passed up at the state before it gets trickled down to us. That’s my number one pet peeve. I want to know. We all deserve to know. Um, I’m running because I do believe in Fairfield and Bridgeport. I believe that we need a representative who listens and looks out for the residents of our districts that we are representing. That’s what we bring up there. And I just want to end it. That’s why my slogan is people before politics. That’s truly what I believe. People before politics. Thank you.

Cristin McCarthy Vahey: Thank you, Miss McCarthy.Thank you very much. Whatever the outcome of this election, here in Fairfield or throughout our country, the most dangerous, cruel, and corrupt president in history will remain in the White House for two more years. And what we do in state houses across the country is the strongest defense we have against the actions that have resulted in two billion dollar being lost from our state budget. It has been and will be up to us to help families be fed and keep their heat on to keep people safe from once eradicated diseases and provide real opportunities for all of our residents, not just the 1enters. Legislating is about bringing diverse stakeholders to the table and staying at the table until we come up with solutions that work. I’ve done this consistently as a committee chair, leading passage of controversial bills on vaccination, zoning, and healthc care regulation, some of the most hotly contested issues. I’ve delivered results for our community, funding for Rooster River, our sewers, our roadways, our schools, and lower taxes for seniors and working families. Fairfield is an amazing community with engaged voters making an impact here at home and across our state. I’ve been honored to work with so many of you from both sides of the aisle to reach compromise and create sustainable solutions for the challenges facing our community. I humbly ask for your support to continue to do this work with you making connections and getting results. Thank you to the league. Thank you to all of you here today watching and to those of you here at the table with me. Thank you. And thank you Joyce Flynn.

Jen Leeper: Thank you to the League for hosting this debate and thank you to Emily uh for participating. This process strengthens our democracy. We can disagree respectfully and treat each other with humanity because it’s a lot harder to hate up close than it is behind our screens. I was first sworn into this office on September 6, 2021. And since then, our country has been through historic turmoil. And now we’re in another senseless war in the Middle East. Tariffs have driven up prices on nearly everything. And nearly every day there is another news story about the rampant corruption coming out of Washington. We in the legislature are the firewall against Washington’s chaos. Moreover, what I have experienced is how much we need each other, how hungry we are for connection and for leadership that calls us once again to our better angels rather than stoking our divides. While my opponent wants you to believe she’s known for reading the fine print, what I have heard over and over again is that she’s known for being incredibly divisive on social media. People want leadership that is honest, not flippant about the fact that there are no simple solutions that we face. There are deeply complex and they require collaboration and a willingness to continue to come back to them day after day because more often than not, progress is incremental. It’s easy to point out problems. It’s hard to solve them and the way we do it is rooted in relationships. You can read all the fine print you want, but if you can’t get people to work with you, you won’t accomplish much. Fairfield, I view this work as a calling. It’s been the honor of my life to serve you, and I hope to once again earn your vote. Thank you, Linda.

Thank you. Okay, hold on. We’re almost there. Wait, wait.

Emily Hau: I love Fairfield. I’ve loved it since the moment I moved here. I have worked at Yale University for 20 years. And my position there now as the associate director in the Yell Institute for Foundations of Data Science is about bringing people together to solve difficult problems, really difficult problems. So I’m familiar with finding solutions and I agree it’s about connection and it’s also about truthtelling. I think some people find that very difficult about me. But I will tell the truth and it’s not always comfortable, but it will always be with Fairfield in mind. We need someone in Hartford who represents Fairfield. And I will do that with my whole heart. I have children in the school system. I care about education. I care about Fairfield. And I’m really good at solving problems. And I think it’s it’s easy to say that it’s incremental. And yet, if we’re saying one thing and then the other to different audiences, is that representation? Thank you for coming tonight.

Thank you everyone for coming and I also want to remind everybody to go vote. You can vote early, you can vote by absentee, and you can vote in person on November 3rd. I also want to thank the candidates for stepping up to be public servants. It is not easy.