For Immediate Release
March 26, 2026
STONINGTON — State Senator Heather Somers (R–Stonington) announced today that her campaign has reached the qualifying threshold to participate in the Citizens Election Program (CEP) for the 2026 election, securing more than $21,100 in contributions, including more than 300 from supporters across the 18th district.
“Hardworking families across eastern Connecticut are being squeezed at every turn — by high energy bills, rising costs, and a punitive tax burn,” said Senator Somers. “This session, I’ve fought to cut taxes for working families, eliminate the public benefits charge on utility bills, reduce prices on and increase access to prescription drugs, and deliver the kind of lasting, meaningful affordability that families can count on year after year.”
“I’m deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from citizens across the 18th district who believe, as I do, that Hartford must be held accountable to the people it serves,” Somers continued. “I look forward to building on a track record of proven results — from expanding access to health care and protecting our seniors to securing resources for eastern Connecticut communities to exposing corruption and mismanagement in Hartford — and continuing to fight as an independent, effective voice for a more affordable, more accountable Connecticut.”
In Hartford, Somers holds senior leadership responsibilities as Chief Deputy Senate Republican Leader and top Republican on both the Public Health and Appropriations Committees. In the 2026 legislative session, she has been a leading voice for a comprehensive affordability plan, calling for an income tax cut, an end to the car tax for working-class families, and the elimination of the public benefits charge driving up electricity costs for households and businesses statewide. She has also been a champion for expanding rural health care access, including her role in bringing $154 million in federal dollars to Connecticut through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Somers has represented Connecticut’s 18th Senate district — spanning eight eastern Connecticut towns including Groton, Stonington, Griswold, Plainfield, and Voluntown — since 2017. She has earned recognition across a range of issue areas including health care, mental health, senior housing, and government accountability, including leading an initiative that ultimately resulted in federal charges against utility cooperative executives for misuse of ratepayer money, exposed corruption in the Connecticut Port Authority and uncovered mismanagement and abuse at the state-run Whiting Forensic Hospital.
Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program offers public campaign financing to candidates who qualify by raising a threshold of small-dollar contributions from residents in their district, demonstrating grassroots support ahead of the election.
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