Democratic state Rep. Brandon McGee is leaving the legislature to take a senior role with Gov. Ned Lamont’s reelection campaign.
McGee, a Democrat who has represented Hartford and Windsor in the House of Representatives since 2013, will step down Friday. A special election will be held to fill the rest of his term, which runs through January 2023.
“It’s hard to put into words how much I have enjoyed working with Brandon,” House Speaker Matt Ritter said. “He is a close, personal friend and amazing colleague. I know he will be a real asset to Gov. Lamont and his team.”
McGee is the second member of the House Democratic caucus to step down in recent weeks, following the resignation of Rep. Caroline Simmons in late 2021 after her election as mayor of Stamford.
“After losing Caroline and Brandon, our caucus is down a few great legislators so we all need to head into 2022 prepared to work hard to fill their mighty big shoes,” Ritter added.
Dan Morrocco, Lamont’s campaign manager, called McGee is “a public servant with deep ties across the state.”
McGee first met Lamont in 2006, when the Greenwich Democrat was running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman. “I walked the streets of Hartford with him,” McGee recalled.
McGee was in his final year at Alabama State University at the time but even as a college student, he had already accrued political experience. He worked with the Alabama NAACP as state youth and college division president. He also held a paid job doing constituent service for John F Knight, a longtime member of the Alabama legislature, and helped organize college students for President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
McGee, 37, was born in Hartford. He cites his father as a role model, despite his struggles with addiction. “He always took care of his family,” McGee said.
McGee’s inaugural race for the 5th District Assembly seat was a wild one: He won the 2012 Democratic primary against longtime labor leader Leo Canty of Windsor by 153 votes after two recounts, an election complaint and hours in court. Canty was a longtime political insider who won the party’s endorsement; McGee was making his first run for elective office.
“It was a very lively entrance into the state legislature for me,” McGee said.
As a member of the House, McGee championed legislation that addresses structural inequities. He was the immediate past chairman of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and advocated for provisions in the cannabis legalization bill that sought to repair the damage done by the war on drugs. He also provided key support for measures that expand access to the ballot and a bill that declared racism a public health hazard.
McGee serves as co-chairman of the legislature’s housing committee, and said one of his proudest achievements was shepherding through a bill that ensures residents facing eviction have an attorney to represent them in court.
McGee will be the No. 2 staffer with the Lamont campaign, with the title of political director.
“I’m very excited to get to work,” he said.
