Sen. President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D-New Haven) announced on Saturday that he will not seek reelection in November.
Looney has been in the General Assembly for 46 years, beginning in 1981.
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\u201cServing the people of Connecticut in the General Assembly for 46 years has been the great privilege of my public life, and it is not a privilege I have ever taken lightly,” Looney said in a statement. “To this day, I still find it hard to believe that a child of Irish immigrant parents and growing up in the Fair Haven section of New Haven became the longest-serving Senate Majority Leader and Senate President in state history.”
Looney, 78, was first elected to the House of Representatives, but has been representing the 11th Senate District since 1993.
\u201cI am grateful for the service of Marty Looney, who has been a steady, principled voice in the Connecticut General Assembly for working families and the kind of patient, serious legislating that produces lasting results,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement.
The current legislative session ends on Wednesday, but the body will wait to hold a celebration for Looney until the end of May.<\/p>\n