HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut's Senate Republicans have a new leader.
In a surprise decision Friday, the caucus voted to replace state Sen. Kevin Kelly, who’s held the post for the last four years.
“It was humbling and I'm honored to lead this caucus,” state Sen. Stephen Harding, the new Senate Minority Leader, told FOX61.
Harding took over after the Senate Republican Caucus ousted Kelly, in favor of Harding, a first-term senator.
“I'm honored to step in the footsteps of Sen. Kelly, who has worked unbelievably hard for this caucus,” Harding said. “He’s someone I'm looking to as a mentor.”
Despite his relative newness in the Senate, Harding isn’t unfamiliar with the state capitol.
Harding served four terms in the House before being elected to the 30th District Senate seat — representing 18 different communities in western Connecticut — in 2022.
“I think it's something that's unique for me and something that is exciting for me is to use, you know, some of the skill set that I learned in the House and to ultimately work that in the Senate caucus,” Harding continued.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora says he’s known Harding for the last 10 years and worked closely with him in the House.
“Steve is a hard worker,” Candelora said. “He looks at the issues for the issues and I think he will serve well in that regard. I’m looking forward to that dialogue.”
“One of the things that is critically important to my effort, and my collaboration with my fellow senators in the Republican caucus, is making sure that our message is unified with with House Republicans,” added Harding.
A big part of that message is affordability.
“In terms of the priorities and the policies that we're promoting, it ultimately comes down to common sense,” he said. “I think affordability is number one, and I think affordability hits on a number of different issues.”
Harding also spoke about the importance of maintaining the state’s fiscal guardrails, something both the governor’s office and state Republicans agree on.
“We understand as a caucus the importance of working across the aisle to get things done for our constituents,” Harding said. “The key is finding the areas of agreement, there's always going to be areas of disagreement and that's a healthy government, right? But there are also areas of agreement.”
Friday, Kelly released a statement saying he’s been incredibly honored to serve as leader of the caucus.
“Our caucus is made up of hard-working individuals who love our state and are ready to fight for it," Kelly said. "Together we continue to stand up for policies that make our state more affordable for all people by reducing tax burdens on poor, working- and middle-class families, creating opportunities in education and jobs, and increasing health care access and affordability."
Kelly continued, "Sen. Harding is extremely knowledgeable and cares deeply about the people of Connecticut. He will be an excellent Senate Republican Leader.”
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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