Gwen Samuel Receives the Independent Party Endorsement for State Senate District 9
GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 3, 2026MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE

OUR PRIORITIES FOR NEWINGTON, ROCKY HILL, CROMWELL, MIDDLETOWN & WETHERSFIELD

THREE PRIORITIES. ONE DISTRICT.

These are the issues Gwen will champion as a State Senator — grounded in what residents have asked for at kitchen tables, town halls, and front porches across the state.

01

1. MAKE CONNECTICUT MORE AFFORDABLE

Your Paycheck Should Go Further.

Affordability is more than one tax or one bill. It is the combined cost of living, working, raising a family, owning a home, renting, retiring, and running a small business in Connecticut.

  • Property Taxes: Work to reduce the pressure placed on local property taxpayers by examining state mandates and ensuring our towns receive their fair share of state funding.
  • Everyday Taxes: Review taxes and fees that increase the cost of necessities for working and middle-class families.
  • Energy & Utilities: Push for greater transparency, accountability, competition, and long-term solutions to Connecticut's high energy costs.
  • Housing: Support pathways to homeownership while addressing the cost and availability of safe rental housing.
  • Healthcare & Prescription Drugs: Support efforts that reduce out-of-pocket healthcare and prescription costs while protecting access to quality care.
  • Groceries & Everyday Expenses: Examine policies that can provide meaningful relief on necessities rather than simply shifting costs somewhere else.
  • Child Care: Recognize that affordable, dependable child care is both a family issue and a workforce issue.
  • Small Businesses: Reduce unnecessary barriers and costs that make it harder for local businesses and entrepreneurs to grow.
  • Seniors on Fixed Incomes: Protect seniors from being priced out of the communities they helped build.

Affordability should be measured by what families have left after the bills are paid — not simply by what government spends.

02

2. CHILDREN, EDUCATION & FAMILIES

Strong Schools. Informed Parents. Safe Children.

Every child deserves access to a quality education, and every family deserves to know what is happening in their child's school.

  • Strong public schools and academic excellence
  • Meaningful parental involvement and transparency
  • Student safety and mental-health support
  • Special education and services for students with disabilities
  • Career and technical education and skilled trades
  • College and workforce pathways
  • Responsible education funding that also considers the impact on local taxpayers
  • Protecting the constitutional rights of every student and family
  • Keeping our schools focused on educating and preparing the next generation

We can support teachers, respect parents, protect children, and demand excellent educational outcomes at the same time.

03

3. STRONGER COMMUNITIES & OPPORTUNITY

Everyone Deserves a Chance to Thrive.

Strong communities are built when people can find opportunity, feel safe, receive help when they need it, and participate in shaping their government.

  • Veterans and Military Families: Connecting veterans with benefits, healthcare, employment, housing, mental-health resources, and community support.
  • Seniors: Supporting aging in place, transportation, nutrition, healthcare, and independence.
  • People with Disabilities: Protecting accessibility, independence, services, employment opportunities, and community-based support.
  • Workers: Expanding workforce development, apprenticeships, skilled trades, and pathways to family-supporting careers.
  • Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs: Helping local businesses grow and creating opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
  • Public Safety: Supporting safe neighborhoods, responsible policing, first responders, prevention, and community partnerships.
  • Housing & Neighborhoods: Promoting safe housing, stable neighborhoods, homeownership, and responsible development.
  • Community Investment: Fighting for Senate District 9 to receive its fair share of state resources and investments.

Whether you are a veteran or civilian, young or old, a homeowner or renter, a parent or someone without children, an employee or business owner — you have a place in this campaign and a voice in Senate District 9.

LISTEN FIRST. LEAD TOGETHER.

These are starting priorities, not a finished agenda.

I will continue listening to residents throughout Senate District 9 and allow those conversations to help shape the specific policies I bring to Hartford.

READY TO STAND WITH GWEN?

Stand With Gwen

Five communities. Different needs. One district. Every voice matters.