Ben McGorty (born May 2, 1964) is an American politician from the state of Connecticut. A Republican, he has been a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2014, elected from the 122nd district.[1][2]
McGorty is a Lieutenant/Deputy Fire Marshal for the town of Stratford, and a real estate agent.[3][4] He was first elected to the state House in a July 22, 2014 special election,[3] defeating Democratic nominee Arlene Liscinsky in a low-turnout race to fill the vacancy left by the death of state Representative Lawrence G. "Larry" Miller, who held the seat from 1991 until his death on May 31, 2014.[5] In the November 2014 general election, McGorty faced no Democratic opponent, with only an unaffiliated petitioning candidate running against him.[6] McGorty was reelected in 2016, when he did not have any Democratic opponent. (McGorty received about 80% of the vote against Green Party candidate Angela Capinera, who won 20% of the vote.[7] McGorty was reelected in 2018 (defeating Democratic challenger Jose Goncalves by about 61% to 39%), and 2020 (again defeating Goncalves, by about 59% to 41%).[3][8][9] The 122nd district has an irregular shape: it includes most of Shelton; Oronoque Village and other portions of Stratford north of the Merritt Parkway, and a small part of Trumbull on the town's eastern side.[5]
McGorty embraced Donald Trump in 2016, saying that he was "100 percent" behind Trump's presidential candidacy.[10]
McGorty lives in Shelton.[3] He is a member of the Knights of Columbus.[3] His wife, Noreen, is a Shelton alderman, elected from the Fourth Ward,[3] corresponding to the Huntington neighborhood.[4]
References
- ^ Torres, Keila (2014-07-22). "McGorty wins 122nd District seat". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ Shelton Herald (2018-06-07). "McGorty wins GOP nomination". Shelton Herald. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ a b c d e f Brian Gioiele, McGorty holds large lead in 122nd House race, Shelton Herald (November 4, 2020).
- ^ a b Brian Gioiele, Ben McGorty: Republican, candidate for state House 122nd District, Connecticut Post (September 28, 2020).
- ^ a b John Burgeson, McGorty bests Vickerelli in 122nd district race, Connecticut Post (August 13, 2014).
- ^ John Burgeson, Cheryl Jansen, unaffiliated, gets on ballot for 122nd, Connecticut Post (August 25, 2014).
- ^ Connecticut 122nd District State House Results: Ben McGorty Wins, New York Times (2016).
- ^ Connecticut Election Results, New York Times (2018).
- ^ Connecticut Election Results, New York Times (2020).
- ^ Majority of local GOP candidates won't take stand on Trump, Connecticut Post (October 17, 2016).
