Will Haskell

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Will Haskell
Will Haskell Portrait.jpg
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 26th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byToni Boucher
Personal details
Born
William Haskell

(1996-06-28) June 28, 1996 (age 25)
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceWestport, Connecticut
EducationGeorgetown University
Websitewww.senatedems.ct.gov/haskell

William Haskell (born June 28, 1996) is an American politician and a member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 26. The district includes the towns of Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of Bethel, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan.[1] The 26th District has not been represented by another Democrat since 1973.[2] Haskell is a member of the Democratic Party and the State Senate Democratic Caucus.[3]

Education[]

Haskell attended school in the Westport Public School System and graduated from Staples High School in 2014, where he was an active member of Staples Players, the student theater group. He attended Georgetown University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in May 2018, shortly after launching his campaign in March. He hired his college roommate as his campaign manager. He is the youngest of four brothers.

Career[]

Will Haskell ran for and won the 26th district in 2018 as a first-time candidate, beating incumbent Republican Toni Boucher who had held the state senate seat since 2009.[4] His campaign received endorsements from Congressman Jim Himes, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and former president Barack Obama.[5]

In December 2019, Haskell was named as one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in Law and Policy.[6] Haskell is the youngest state senator in the country.[7]

Haskell serves as the Senate Chairman of the Transportation Committee[8] and previously served as the Senate Chairman of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. He has also served on the Environment, Energy and Technology, Government Administration and Elections, Human Services, and Public Health Committees. In 2021, Haskell was appointed to Governor Lamont's Workforce Council. Haskell is a NewDEAL Leader. He was appointed by Senate President Martin Looney as Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore.

Haskell was involved in the unsuccessful fight to install tolls on Connecticut highways[9] and helped lead the successful passage of legislation bringing free community college to Connecticut.[10] He has voted in favor of Paid Family and Medical Leave, a $15 minimum wage, a ban on ghost guns, cannabis legalization and police accountability reforms.[11] During his first term, he co-sponsored 23 new laws and held over 70 town hall meetings. Haskell has earned a 100% approval score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, a 0% approval score from the National Rifle Association, and a 100% attendance record for votes on the Senate floor. His work has been featured in the New York Times,[12] Teen Vogue,[13] ABC News, Time Magazine,[14] and Quartz (publication).[15]

In 2021, Haskell announced that he had written a book for Avid Reader Press at Simon and Schuster. 100,000 First Bosses will be published in January 2022 and has drawn advance praise from Al Gore, Jon Ossoff, E. J. Dionne, Tammy Duckworth, Amanda Litman, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly.[16]

Electoral history[]

2020 Connecticut State Senate elections[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Will Haskell (incumbent) 38,581 58.3
Republican Kim Healy 27,549 41.7
Total votes 66,130 100
Democratic hold
2018 Connecticut State Senate elections[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Will Haskell 27,991 53.3
Republican Toni Boucher (incumbent) 24,512 46.7
Total votes 52,503 100
Democratic gain from Republican

References[]

  1. ^ "Connecticut General Assembly". Connecticut General Assembly. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  2. ^ McWilliams, Kathleen. "In Historic Suburban Shift, 22-Year-Old Will Haskell Beats Incumbent State Sen. Toni Boucher". Hartford Courant.
  3. ^ "SENATORS". www.senatedems.ct.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat". Time. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  5. ^ McWilliams, Kathleen. "22-Year-Old Democrat Will Haskell Defeats Popular Republican Toni Boucher, Winning Her Long-Held Senate Seat - Hartford Courant". courant.com. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Will Haskell, 23". Forbes. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Meet the 22-year-old millennial who beat a politician who had served longer than he'd been alive". ABC News.
  8. ^ "Senate President Pro Tempore Looney Releases Committee Assignments for 2021-2022 Legislative Term". Connecticut Senate Democrats.
  9. ^ Hamad, Michael. "Democrats introduce new tolls bill, but Gov. Ned Lamont and others have repeatedly said they're moving forward after battling for months without passage". courant.com. The Hartford Courant.
  10. ^ Lambeck, Linda Conner (June 4, 2019). "Connecticut's debt-free college program called an investment". Connecticut Post.
  11. ^ "Senator Haskell Votes for Absentee Ballot Expansion, Insulin Price-cap, Police Accountability, and Telehealth Coverage Legislation". Connecticut Senate Democrats.
  12. ^ Pager, Tyler (October 8, 2018). "Obama Just Gave a College Grad a Job Reference. The Job? State Senator". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Nast, Condé (November 14, 2018). "This 22-Year-Old Won Against a Republican Who Has Held Office as Long as He's Been Alive". Teen Vogue.
  14. ^ Li, Ang; Most, Anne. "Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat". Time.
  15. ^ Timsit, Annabelle. "Meet the 22-year-old representing one of Connecticut's richest districts". Quartz.
  16. ^ "100,000 First Bosses". Simon and Schuster. January 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "Election Results: State Senate - District 26 - General". Connecticut Post. Connecticut Post. Associated Press. November 3, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "Election Results: State Senate - District 26 - General". Connecticut Post. Associated Press. November 6, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Connecticut Senate
from the 26th District
2019–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""