Republican Candidate

Hot Button Issues

Democrat Candidate

Role of the Treasurer

The Treasurer is the chief elected fiscal officer for State government, overseeing a wide range of activities regarding the prudent management of State funds.

Erick Russell

https://www.erickforct.com/

Erick has been practicing as an attorney at a prestigious Connecticut law firm where he is a partner in the firm’s Public and Private Finance Group. Erick practice focuses on representing municipalities, state agencies and the state in financing critical infrastructure projects, such as schools, affordable housing, child care facilities, and transportation infrastructure, managing debt and restructuring pension obligations. Much of this work has been directly through the Office of the Treasurer, which has allowed Erick a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience and the perspective to see how the position can be used to make meaningful change in our State.

In addition to his professional work, Erick has been an active member in the community, serving the Democratic Party on the local, state and national level for the past 10 years, advocating for marginalized communities, and serving as a mentor, particularly to Black and LGBTQ+ youth

Platform Issues

These platform stances are well defined on his website. We have linked to more detail for each stance below.

No Reply

We have reached out to the Russell campaign multiple times to get his stances on various issues. Since the campaign has refused to comment on issues, we will continue to look for any interviews or statements that give the platform stances for hot button issues that voters care about.

About Erick

Erick was born and raised in New Haven, where he currently lives with his husband, Chris. His father, who was a paratrooper in the Army and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and his mother, originally from Germany, moved to New Haven seeking better opportunities for their young family. With what little resources they had, they started a small convenience store in New Haven which Erick grew up working in. His parents worked tirelessly to provide better opportunities for him and his siblings, which allowed him to be the first person in his family to graduate from college and then law school, both here in Connecticut.

Since graduating, Erick has been practicing as an attorney at a prestigious Connecticut law firm where he is a partner in the firm’s Public and Private Finance Group. Erick practice focuses on representing municipalities, state agencies and the state in financing critical infrastructure projects, such as schools, affordable housing, child care facilities, and transportation infrastructure, managing debt and restructuring pension obligations. Much of this work has been directly through the Office of the Treasurer, which has allowed Erick a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience and the perspective to see how the position can be used to make meaningful change in our State.

In addition to his professional work, Erick has been an active member in the community, serving the Democratic Party on the local, state and national level for the past 10 years, advocating for marginalized communities, and serving as a mentor, particularly to Black and LGBTQ+ youth.

Erick has seen firsthand the importance of breaking the racial and generational wealth gap and the need to take bold steps to establish programs that promote financial and economic stability for all people. That’s why he’s running for Treasurer and why he’s so passionate about this work.

Harry Arora

https://www.arora2022.com/

Harry is running for Connecticut State Treasurer to bring leadership and experience to Hartford. He has over 25 years of experience in investment management and running a successful business in Greenwich. Five years ago, Harry pivoted to public service to give back to his community.  As state rep for Connecticut’s 151st district, he has fought tirelessly for his constituents. 

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Harry and his wife Nisha are raising their three kids in Greenwich. Harry came to the United States from India as a graduate student 27 years ago and naturalized as an American citizen in 2004. Harry truly represents the American dream.

Platform Issues

These platform stances are well defined on his website. We strongly advise looking here to learn more about Harry’s plans.

  • Define a Strategy to Fix Connecticut’s Finances
  • Improve and Protect our Pension Returns
  • Reverse the debt binge
  • Work to Reduce Inflationary Pressures

CT Insider Article

Harry Arora wrote an opinion piece for the CT Insider on Aug 17, 2022. In this piece, he covered three primary issues.

  • End The Debt Binge : I will ensure that through due diligence is done before any debt is issued.
  • Address the Pension Fund Deficit : This pension deficit is the single factor holding our state back. Each year, we pay almost $3 billion in pension expenses.
  • Address OPEB/health care benefits shortfall : We have a $25 billion shortfall in the OPEB or health care benefits for our state employees.

Voting Record

The proof is in the pudding. You can look at his voting record to see her positions on these issues.

HeathCare

Business

Law and Order

Discrimination

Environment

Voting

Abortion Rights

At the, we are unsure of Harry’s position on abortion rights. His campaign sent out a text saying he was pro-choice (shown below) but he voted against HB-5414 : authorize protection for reproductive rights which contradicts that statement. HB-5414 laid out the same provisions as Roe v. Wade. We replied to the text asking for clarification on this discrepancy, and did not receive a reply.

Hot Button Issues

A list of definitions for each issue can be found here.

Reproductive RightsGun RightsCivil RightsLaw and OrderTerm LimitsBig Tech Censorship
Erick RussellNo ReplyNo ReplySome SupportNo ReplyNo ReplyNo Reply
Harry AroraPro-LifeNo ReplyNo ReplyNo ReplyNo ReplyNo Reply
Treasurer