The following elections speed read comes by way of Dentons50 partners James Woulfe and Jim O’Brien of The Connecticut Group–editor.
U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced last Monday that she will not seek re-election in November in the wake of a scandal that has fellow lawmakers calling for her resignation.
Esty’s former chief of staff, Tony Baker, was accused of domestic violence against a coworker, and was not fired or put on administrative leave by Esty when she learned of the incident. Months later, after an internal investigation was completed, Baker received a severance package worth thousands of dollars and a letter of recommendation from Esty that landed him another job.
The calls for her resignation have come from State Senator Mae Flexer, followed by Majority Leader Bob Duff and Senate President Martin Looney. Duff criticized her for her lack of transparency and poor judgement:
“The calls for Elizabeth’s resignation by many in the political world might have been avoided had there been more concern for the victim and better judgment shown from the day this all happened in a Congressional office up and until the story broke in the media.”
Democrats will now turn their focus to making sure Esty’s seat does not go to a Republican in the upcoming election. They need 24 seats to flip the U.S. House of Representatives, and can’t afford to lose the 5th district.
