mobanmarketSOUTHINGTON, CT — A state senator serving Southington is on the political hot seat this week for his comments Thursday about a close 2022 state representative election in Southington.
State Rep. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, represents Southington in the 16th Senate District and he was part of a slate of GOP speakers at the Capitol in Hartford Thursday discussing election integrity in the state.
The recent situation in Bridgeport — where multiple workers were charged with election fraud last week in connection with a 2019 primary campaign won by Democratic Mayor Joseph Ganim — fueled the GOP’s call for a bipartisan commission to study election regulations.
Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
But it was Sampson’s comments about the 2022 state representative race in Southington, one in which a Democrat defeated a Republican by a single vote after a recount, that had Southington Democrats up in arms.
Sampson, during the press conference, said he wasn’t sure state Rep. Christopher Poulos, D-Southington, was the legitimate winner in 2022.
Find out what's happening in Southingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The fact is people in the state are not confident in our election process,” Sampson said Thursday. “I don’t know that the circumstances in Bridgeport are that much different from the state.”
“You don’t have to look too far to see elections that are decided by a very small number of votes. In the Town of Southington, in the 2022 cycle, there was an election decided by one vote,” continued Sampson.
“And I can’t say with extreme confidence that that election had the right vote tally. I don’t think anyone can,” Sampson continued.
Poulos narrowly defeated Republican Tony Morrison by a single vote: 5,297-5,296.
The vote was secured by a district recount after Election Day tallies showed Poulos with a 5,303-5,297 win in the 81st State House district, which encompasses most of Southington.
After the recount, Poulos lost six votes while Morrison lost one, not enough to change the election, but enough to turn a six-vote victory for Poulos into a one-vote win.
At the time, Morrison conceded the race to Poulos and the Democrat took office with minimal controversy — at least not out in the open.
Sampson, however, said he wasn’t sure Southington’s 2022 state representative race was on the level.
Sampson represents the 16th Senate District, which includes parts of Wolcott and Waterbury, as well as Prospect and Southington.
Democrats Protest
The Southington Democratic Town Committee, which chose Poulos to run in 2022, blasted Sampson for his comments questioning the Southington election’s integrity.
“Never did anyone question the work of Southington’s election department or the Republican town clerk in the handling of absentee ballots,” wrote Southington Democrats in a statement.
Local Dems said Southington Republicans, who hold majorities on most major town boards and commissions, didn’t question the integrity of the recount back in 2022, nor did Morrison.
Southington’s election in 2022, the Democrats said, wasn’t even questioned by state GOP leaders.
Because the first tally showed a small victory for Poulos, a recount was mandatory and, when that recount later showed a one-vote win for Poulos, no one questioned it at the time, Democrats said.
According to Southington Democratic Town Committee Chairperson Erin Cowles, the election workers in Southington on both sides of the aisle did their jobs in 2022.
“I have the utmost confidence in our town registrars as well as our election workers. I was present at the recount and saw the hard work and due diligence of town staff and volunteers, and I am grateful for their continued dedication to the election process,” Cowles said in a statement.
Nationally, the Republicans have called into question the 2020 presidential race, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump.
Trump, however, has continually claimed — without any facts or court challenge victories — he was ousted from office due to a “rigged” election.
Those statements, critics claim, fueled everything from the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington D.C., to to bitter, angry political divide that has only increased since Trump first ran.
According to Southington Dems, Sampson’s comments are along those lines.
“I am very disappointed going into this year’s election that Rob Sampson would now
raise this issue,” said Democrat Tony D’Angelo, the former Southington DTC chair.
“The partisan rhetoric is the same old politics that people are tired of hearing. Southington made the right choice in 2022 and I am proud of Chris Poulos’ record of working across the aisle.”
Poulos: Allegation ‘Indefensible’
Poulos told Patch Thursday the election issues in Bridgeport in 2019, along with a 2023 mayoral race ballot-stuffing scandal, must be addressed in the state.
But, he said, just because a race is close, doesn’t mean it isn’t valid, and insinuating one might be invalid when nothing indicates as much is just as harmful.
“What happened in Bridgeport in 2019 and 2023 during its municipal elections was a crime, and those who broke the law should be held accountable for their actions and receive consequences for them. Election fraud is indefensible,” Poulos told Patch in a statement.
“What is also indefensible is intimating that my election to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2022 was anything other than legitimate during a press conference at the State Capitol.
“I can say with extreme confidence that my election had an accurate vote tally. So can my opponent, the local Republican party, and the Republican registrar of voters, none of whom questioned the legitimacy of the electoral outcome, which also made national news, since I won by a single vote following a recount,” Poulos continued.
“During my first term, I am proud of my record of working across the aisle, and my moderate approach to governing, which has enabled me to deliver for Southington.”
Poulos is seeking a second term of office against Republican challenger Jim Morelli, vice chairman of the Southington Town Council.
Sampson, meanwhile, is being challenged by Democrat Christopher Robinson of Southington in another 2022 rematch.
To watch the full legislative GOP press conference on election integrity, including state Rep. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, click on this link.
From Nov. 15, 2022: ‘1 Vote Decides Southington State Representative Race’
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.