Slate of educators and community leaders will take on privatization interests and fight for the public schools, affordable communities, and opportunities Connecticut families deserve

HARTFORD — The Connecticut Working Families Party today announced its endorsement of six candidates for the Connecticut General Assembly primary election, backing a slate of educators, public school champions, and community leaders who have spent their careers standing up for students, educators, and communities—not special interests seeking to divert resources away from public schools.

At a time when the charter school lobby and privatization advocates continue pouring money into Connecticut politics, the Connecticut Working Families Party is endorsing candidates who understand a simple truth: strong public schools are one of the most important investments we can make in working families.

“The candidates we’re endorsing know what’s at stake,” said Sarah Ganong, Connecticut State Director for the Working Families Party. “The charter school lobby is stronger, richer, and more organized than ever before, and we’re anticipating big spending as they attempt  to reshape Connecticut’s education system for their own benefit. While educators and parents are fighting for the public schools our kids rely on, powerful special interests are trying to turn public education into a profit center. Connecticut families deserve leaders who will stand with students, educators, and communities—not corporate interests looking to cash in. Our endorsed candidates are ready to fight for great public schools in every zip code and stop the privatizers from putting profits ahead of kids.”

Charter advocates are running coordinated campaigns to expand schools in Danbury and Middletown, challenging state funding decisions, and bringing increasingly sophisticated lobbying operations and wealthy donor networks to the Capitol to influence education policy. While public school educators are fighting for resources in neighborhood schools, well-funded charter interests continue to push for a larger share of public education dollars.

“It’s the same scam we’re seeing from Donald Trump and his allies in Washington: privatize public goods, funnel taxpayer dollars to private operators, and leave working families with less,” said Madeline Stocker, New England Communications Director for the Working Families Party. “The people bankrolling the charter school agenda aren’t investing millions because they care about democracy—they’re doing it because they stand to gain when public money is diverted away from neighborhood schools. Our endorsed candidates reject that agenda. They believe every child deserves a great public school, and they’re committed to protecting public education from those who see it as a business opportunity rather than a public good.”

The Connecticut Working Families Party endorsement slate for the 2026 Democratic Primary includes:

STATE SENATE

• Maryam Khan (SD-2)
• Matt Lesser (SD-9)
• Jack Fazzino (SD-13)

STATE HOUSE

• Angie Parkinson (HD-10)
• Moise Carelus (HD-31)
• Toni Lombardi (HD-118)

Together, the slate represents a diverse coalition of leaders who understand that a real affordability agenda starts with investing in the public institutions families rely on every day.

Strong public schools help families get ahead. They reduce financial burdens on parents, create opportunities for young people, strengthen local economies, and ensure every child has a fair shot at success. Yet for years, powerful interests have pushed policies that threaten to siphon resources away from neighborhood schools and into privatized alternatives.

Connecticut Working Families Party says these six candidates have demonstrated that they are willing to stand up to those interests.

“I became a teacher because I wanted to help children succeed, and I ran for office because I saw too many students and families being asked to do more with less,” said Rep. Maryam Khan, a teacher, mother and education advocate running for State Senate in Connecticut’s 2nd District. “For working families in Hartford, Windsor, and Bloomfield, strong public schools aren’t a luxury—they’re essential. They’re one of the best investments we can make for safer communities, economic opportunity, and a better future for our kids. I’m proud to stand with Connecticut Working Families Party because they understand that when we fight for public education, we’re fighting for working families, and we’re fighting for Connecticut’s future.”

Alongside Rep. Khan, WFPs slate highlights leaders who fight to strengthen public schools and are challenging those side with privatization efforts that undermine them: Angie Parkinson is a 25-year public school educator and East Hartford Town Council member, and has spent her career fighting for strong public schools and fully funded classrooms; Toni Lombardi, a Milford public school employee and Alder fighting for strong public schools and affordability, not privatization interests or cuts to education; State Senator Matt Lesser, who is running against a pro-charter, privatization-backed candidate focused on diverting resources from neighborhood public schools, Moise Carelus, a former high school science teacher who believes public dollars belong in public schools and won the nomination over the incumbent who voted against $1.1 million for Glastonbury public schools, and Rep. Jack Fazzino, who has consistently fought to strengthen public schools, standing up for students and educators and advocating for the investments our classrooms deserve.

Connecticut Working Families Party leaders emphasized that these endorsements are about more than education policy—they are about building a state government that consistently puts working families first.

The endorsements are part of Connecticut Working Families Party’s broader effort to build a multiracial movement of working people capable of winning meaningful change across the state.

The Connecticut Working Families Party is building a multiracial movement of working people to advance economic, racial, and social justice across the state. Through organizing, coalition building, and electoral politics, CT WFP works to elect leaders who will strengthen public institutions, stand up to corporate power, and fight for working families.

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