Reddy Formally Challenges Mansfield's Numbers In 29th Senate Race

MANSFIELD, CT — Republican 29th state Senate challenger Chris Reddy Tuesday filed a complaint with the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission as he continues to question the amount of same-day registrations recorded in Mansfield.

As of Tuesday, Democratic incumbent Mae Flexer is the winner in the district by the count of 21,385 to 19,796, according to the secretary of the state's office. Flexer overall recorded 19,926 927 votes on the democratic line and then 968 and 490 on the working families and independent lines, respectively.

It was a blowout victory for Flexer in Mansfield, according to the tally sheet with 5,870 votes on the Democratic line, 227 on the working families line and 115 independent votes for a total of 6,212 to Reddy's 2,240.

Reddy is calling a foul on that aggressive drive into the lane.

"Voters in the 29th District and across the state of Connecticut find it shocking to see that the town of Mansfield recorded 1,753 same-day registrations by the morning of November 6, only to adjust the final numbers by the evening of November 8 to 2,522," according to the complaint.

Said Reddy's campaign in announcing the filing, "Based on a number of red flags which presented themselves over the course of the 2024 General Election, Chris Reddy has filed an SEEC Complaint today in Hartford. This filing is meant to draw the attention of Connecticut elections officials to some of the shocking information witnessed and recorded, relative to the voting process and ballots cast in Mansfield. Voters across the 29th Senate District are dismayed, disheartened and, frankly, angered by what they have seen and heard occurred in Mansfield's elections, and they want answers to their questions. Chris Reddy and his Team called on the Secretary of State's office to withhold certification of this election until these red flags are satisfactorily investigated and resolved."

He continued, "An important point to note is that Senator Flexer has been silent on the issues of serious red flags in the town that cast the most ballots in this race. Considering her co-chair position on the most influential committee on elections, and as the architect of these recent changes in election operations, she finds herself too busy declaring victory and sweeping issues under the rug to actually weigh in on voter concerns.

"The issue at hand is voter confidence in free and fair elections, and the integrity of our elections is of the utmost concern. Residents of the 29th District can be assured that Chris Reddy will not rest until this complaint has been fully investigated and all compelling concerns have been addressed."

Barring a change in Mansfield's results, Democratic majorities are expected to increase to 102-49 in the House and 25-11 in the Senate when the new roster comes into effect on Jan. 8. That's a veto-proof super majority in the House by an extra seat.

Flexer's side hasn't exactly been silent. Nor have local Republicans.

Mansfield Democratic Town Committee chairman Ben Shaiken and G. Willian Tomecko, the chairman of the Mansfield Republican Town Committee issued a joint statement over the weekend defending the town's numbers.

It read, "We are confident that the votes cast in Mansfield, including those of approximately 3,000 UConn students, were lawfully cast and properly counted. We are disappointed that Chris Reddy and his campaign are challenging the validity of Tuesday's election and attempting to disqualify the votes of thousands of Mansfield citizens. It was a free, fair, secure, and extremely well-organized election and his comments do nothing but sow discord and division among the voters of Mansfield and the 29th district."

Shaiken told Patch that the count os normal for a town that hosts a university to have that many same-day registrations in a presidential election. Mansfield had extra early voting centers set up and transportation to the polls for UConn students is traditionally offered.

Reddy claims that at least 561 registrations were not properly administered along with ballots being reviewed without the proper staffing.