By Paul Choiniere With the announcement by former state Rep. Joe de la Cruz that he will seek the nomination to run for state Senate in the 18th District, incumbent Republican Sen. Heather Somers faces her most serious challenge since first elected to the seat in 2016. Trying to wrestle the 18th District from the Republicans should be a high priority for Democrats. Ousting Somers would complete a dramatic turnaround for the party from a decade ago and amount to another dishea

By David Collins When Heather Somers of Groton won her fifth term in the state Senate in 2024, on a ballot led by Donald Trump, it looked to be about as safe a seat as a Republican could hope for in blue Connecticut. After years of essential gerrymandering by the state’s dominant party, Somers’ 18th District is made up of a lot of the ruby red Republicanism that Democrats have helped keep out of the districts they hope to continue to dominate. The 18th, after meandering a lit

State Representative Joe de la Cruz poses for a portrait with aluminum frames made for submarines at the Hillery Company in Groton where he is Vice President Thursday, February 17, 2022. Finishing up his sixth legislative session he recently announced he will not seek reelection to focus on the business and his future. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) By Kimberly Drelich Groton — Former state Rep. Joe de la Cruz has announced his campaign to seek the Democratic nomination for the 18th

State Rep. Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, speaks during a legislative town hall event Monday, April 18, 2022, at the Groton Senior Center. (Sarah Gordon/The Day) By Kimberly Drelich Groton — When state Rep. Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, looks back on his six years as a legislator in Hartford, he hopes he inspired people to put themselves in others' shoes. “If I have a superpower, it’s learned from my grandmother and my mother and my huge family, and it’s empathy," he said, "and to rea