A 26-year-old University of Connecticut graduate from Woodstock is seeking to win the 35th Senate District seat covering 13 towns across northeastern Connecticut. Ethan Werstler, a third-generation Woodstock resident, is challenging two-term Republican incumbent Jeff Gordon in a race that has turned into a pointed debate over the state's electric rates, school funding formulas and how much attention rural Connecticut gets from Hartford.
Werstler announced his candidacy for the seat, according to Patch, which describes him as a Democrat, a small-business owner and an associate at a Hartford government-affairs firm. Gordon, a Republican from Woodstock, is seeking a third term representing the district, as reported by Hartford Courant. The 35th District spans Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Stafford, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington and Woodstock, according to The Chronicle.
The Daily Campus describes the district as having been a Republican seat for 30 years. Werstler has said he wants to bring younger, fresher perspectives to Hartford and represent everyone in the district, and he has argued that northeastern Connecticut does not get sufficient attention and resources from the state, according to the Courant's reporting.
Werstler's Path From UConn Trustee to Candidate
Werstler graduated from UConn in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in political science and communication, according to the Daily Campus. In 2021 he was elected to represent 23,000 undergraduate students across UConn's five campuses as a voting member of the university's Board of Trustees, per the same account, and he also served as vice president of the undergraduate student body, the Courant reported. Before that, the Daily Campus notes he worked as a campaign field organizer for Democratic Congressman Joe Courtney and previously ran for state representative in the 52nd District.
Werstler also worked as an associate at a Hartford government-relations firm, and he founded Husky Market, a food-insecurity initiative that has provided $460,000 worth of grocery gift cards to thousands of food-insecure UConn students, according to his campaign website as cited by the Courant. He also owns a Woodstock business through which he mentors thousands of high school students in Model United Nations, the Daily Campus reported.
Electric Rates Become a Flashpoint
Electric rates have become a flashpoint in the race. Eversource filed in July for a $727 million annual rate increase, the Courant reported, a filing that Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has opposed; if approved, the average residential customer would see rates rise by 18 percent, according to a statement from the Connecticut Attorney General's office.
Werstler has called for investing in public power utilities to compete with Eversource and United Illuminating, per the Courant's reporting.
Gordon has pushed back on that idea, saying alternatives to Eversource could take years to build or prove impossible, and that property taxpayers cannot afford the billions required to buy transmission lines, establish new businesses and hire staff, per the Courant. He has pointed instead to Senate Bill 4, which he said would provide $200 million in annual relief to electric ratepayers, according to Connecticut Senate Republicans — while acknowledging that relief falls far short of roughly $1 billion in charges and taxes Connecticut residents pay. Gordon has also said the state should enact more tax cuts, reduce sales taxes and temporarily halt gas and diesel taxes, the Courant reported.
Fighting Over School Funding Formulas
Both candidates list affordability, rising special-education costs and the state's Education Cost Sharing formula among their top priorities, according to the Courant. The ECS formula dictates distribution of state education funding to public school districts, per the same reporting. Werstler told the Stafford Free Press the state needs to rewrite the formula to better accommodate smaller, rural school districts, increase the per-pupil foundation, and index the formula to inflation. He has also proposed having the state take over negotiating rates for high-need special-education services, arguing in comments to the Stafford Free Press that doing so could better manage costs and ease pressure on property taxpayers.
Gordon's campaign said he secured $5.7 million in additional ECS funding for towns in the 35th District through a FY27 budget adjuster bill, and he has advocated increasing the ECS foundation amount and tying future increases to inflation, according to Connecticut Senate Republicans. Gordon has also said he stopped proposed education cuts totaling $7 million and worked on special-education bills aimed at improving reimbursement for schools that regionalize shared services.
Taxes and Gordon's Record
Werstler has discussed municipal aid and education funding, according to the Courant. Gordon has proposed child and caregiver credits and phasing out taxes on retirement and pension income, the Courant reported.
Connecticut lawmakers gave final passage in November 2025 to a $500 million relief fund, according to Connecticut Public.
Werstler has also argued that Gordon has not done enough to bring funding back to municipalities and has not spoken out against President Donald Trump's policies, which Werstler contends have negatively affected Connecticut, according to the Courant.
Gordon has pointed to advocacy for education funding and support for bipartisan prescription-drug reform.
Connecticut's general election is set for Nov. 3.
