It’s official; wresting control of that district from the hands of Democrats for the first time, apparently, in more than 50 years.
Final numbers in the race gave the election to Ziobron, of East Haddam, on a vote of 6,227 to 5,104 for her opponent, a member of East Hampton’s Town Council.
Ziobron carried all three towns in the district, East Hampton, East Haddam and a small portion of Colchester, a considerable feat given that East Hampton, the home of the late former and popular governor William O’Neill, has long been a Democratic stronghold.
Ziobron today said she was especially buoyed last night by the East Hampton numbers because she knew she had to carry that town to carry the election.
“I’m most proud of my win in East Hampton because that’s where the majority of the numbers were going to come from,” she said. Ziobron won East Hampton 3,321 to 2,581.
“I think it was a pretty decisive win and I’m proud of the positive campaign I ran. Now the real work begins.”
She said one East Hampton politician told her that this is the first time in 52 years that the district has been won by a Republican.
Part of her victory can be attributed to a redrawing of the district’s town lines last year. The 34th used to encompass East Hampton and just portions of East Haddam and Middletown until its boundaries were redrawn to include all of East Haddam and part of Colchester.
34th District Results Colchester East Hampton East Haddam Total Melissa Ziobron (R) 325 3321 2581 6227 Chris Goff (D) 258 2991 1855 5104*Vote tallies do not include all hand-counted absentee and overseas ballots.
