News + Press

As the Connecticut legislative session wound down, State Senator Ryan Fazio demonstrated – again – his embrace of extreme policies. The Republican gubernatorial candidate, who enthusiastically voted for President Trump and has deep “respect” for him, again used this legislative session to demonstrate why he’s from the extreme wing of the GOP. 

THE BUDGET – In what was yet another bipartisan budget, and after failing for the third year in a row to produce one of their own, nearly half the Republican caucus joined Democrats to pass the final two-year spending plan. But Ryan Fazio remained an extremist holdout.  .

He sided with the most hardline members of his party, voting against the interests of his own district by rejecting over $3.3 million in education funding and municipal aid designed to lower local costs.

GUNS – Fazio, who has called Connecticut’s smart gun laws “unreasonable,” supported automatic weapon loopholes, voting for an extreme, anti-safety, and AGAIN siding with the pro-gun lobby agenda. HB 5043 – a ban on production and sale of firearms manufactured to easily convert into illegal fully automatic machine guns – is a common-sense measure aimed at keeping Connecticut safe and regulating automatic weapons. But Fazio? 

He voted to have more automatic weapons in Connecticut.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: In a first-in-the-nation bill, Fazio was one of the only three senators to oppose SB 5, a bipartisan, landmark bill regulating artificial intelligence in Connecticut. These measures protect workers from abuse, establish clear rules for social media use by children, and create a regulatory framework to promote responsible innovation on these technologies. 

One Republican said, “I agree with 90% of it, maybe 100%...when technology gets weaponized to the point where real and fake become indistinguishable, that is not a fair expectation to have for society, to be able to discern that.”

Fazio, once again separating himself from the rest of the GOP and adopting extreme positions, voted against common-sense AI regulation. 

PRIVATE EQUITY PROFITS: Fazio was one of only three senators to side with private equity over Connecticut seniors. Fazio voted against SB 125, a bill mandating basic transparency from nursing homes, choosing to protect private equity profits over the safety and dignity of Connecticut seniors.

Similarly, Fazio voted against SB 266, legislation to prioritize state funds for childcare and preschool programs that are not owned by private equity. At a time where Connecticut families are already struggling with the cost of childcare, Fazio sided with Wall Street-backed operators over community-based providers and his own constituents. 

The takeaway is clear: Ryan Fazio has demonstrated, session after session, that he is too extreme for Connecticut. From protecting gun loopholes to helping private equity profit off our children, to voting against increased funding for his own district, he is from the extreme MAGA wing of the GOP. 

Fazio was on the losing side of each of these votes. The Senate will continue more votes today as it closes out this year’s legislative session.

Statement from CT Dems spokesperson, Ian Clarke: 

“Ryan Fazio’s steadfast loyalty is an asset to the pernicious special interests and hardline ideologues he prioritizes over the needs of his district. Every vote he takes is a blaring warning: if he is this opposed to basic protections for nursing home residents, schoolchildren, workers, or even the towns in his own district, imagine what he would do with the Governor’s veto pen.”