Will Haskell
{{Short description|American politician (born 1996)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Will Haskell Portrait.jpg
| name = Will Haskell
| order =
| office =
| state_senate = Connecticut State
| district = 26th
| term_start = January 9, 2019
| term_end = January 4, 2023
| predecessor = Toni Boucher
| successor = Ceci Maher
| party = Democrat
| alma_mater =
| education = Georgetown University (BA)
New York University (JD) (enrolled)
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1996|06|28}}
| website = {{URL|willhaskellforct.com|Campaign website}} {{URL|www.senatedems.ct.gov/haskell|Connecticut Senate website}}
| birth_place = Westport, Connecticut, U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Katie Cion|2023}}https://registryfinder.com/registry/katie-cion/will-haskell/wedding/september-2023/na/3073135 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
}}
William Haskell (born June 28, 1996) is an American politician and a former member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 26 from 2019 to 2023. The district includes the towns of Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, and parts of Bethel, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/|title=Connecticut General Assembly|website=Connecticut General Assembly|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-13}} Haskell is a member of the Democratic Party, and was a member of the State Senate Democratic Caucus.{{Cite web|url=http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/senators|title=SENATORS|website=www.senatedems.ct.gov|access-date=2019-01-13}} When Haskell originally won election to the 26th District, he became the first Democrat to represent the district in over 50 years.{{cite news |last1=McWilliams |first1=Kathleen |title=In Historic Suburban Shift, 22-Year-Old Will Haskell Beats Incumbent State Sen. Toni Boucher |url=https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-news-wilton-will-haskell-20181018-story.html |publisher=Hartford Courant}}
Education
Haskell attended school in the Westport Public School System and graduated from Staples High School in 2014, where he was an active member of Staples Players, the student theater group. He attended Georgetown University majoring in Government and minoring in Journalism.{{Cite book |last=Haskell |first=Will |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1290892330 |title=100,000 first bosses : my unlikely path as a 22-year-old lawmaker |date=2022 |isbn=978-1-9821-6401-0 |edition=First Avid Reader press hardcover |location=New York |oclc=1290892330}} He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in May 2018, shortly after launching his campaign in March of that same year. He hired his college roommate as his campaign manager. He planned attending law school in New York City following the conclusion of his state senate term in 2023.{{cite news|url = https://ctmirror.org/2022/01/03/sen-will-haskell-opts-for-law-school-over-reelection/|title = Sen. Will Haskell opts for law school over reelection|work = The Connecticut Mirror|date = January 3, 2022|accessdate = April 22, 2022|last = Panziokas|first = Mark}} He currently attends the New York University School of Law and is expected to graduate in 2025.{{cite web | url=https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/march/violet-spotlight--will-haskell--law--25-.html | title=Violet Spotlight: Will Haskell (Law '25) }} He is the youngest of four brothers.
Career
Will Haskell ran for and won the 26th district in 2018 as a first-time candidate, beating incumbent Republican Toni Boucher who had held the state senate seat since 2009.{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/|title=Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat|magazine=Time|date=November 5, 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-01-13}} His campaign received endorsements from Congressman Jim Himes, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and former president Barack Obama.{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-election-26th-senate-district-20181106-story.html|title=22-Year-Old Democrat Will Haskell Defeats Popular Republican Toni Boucher, Winning Her Long-Held Senate Seat - Hartford Courant|last=McWilliams|first=Kathleen|website=courant.com|date=November 7, 2018 |access-date=2019-01-13}} Haskell wrote a book about his 2018 election, entitled 100,000 First Bosses: My Unlikely Path as a 22-Year-Old Lawmaker, which was published in January 2022.
In December 2019, Haskell was named as one of Forbes
Haskell serves as the Senate Chairman of the Transportation Committee{{cite web |title=Senate President Pro Tempore Looney Releases Committee Assignments for 2021-2022 Legislative Term |url=http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/looney-news/3440-looney-201228#sthash.5P4KYo9y.dpbs |website=Connecticut Senate Democrats |date=December 28, 2020 |language=en-gb}} and previously served as the Senate Chairman of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. He has also served on the Environment, Energy and Technology, Government Administration and Elections, Human Services, and Public Health Committees. In 2021, Haskell was appointed to Governor Lamont's Workforce Council. Haskell is a NewDEAL Leader. He was appointed by Senate President Martin Looney as Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore.
Haskell was involved in the unsuccessful fight to install tolls on Connecticut highways{{cite news |last1=Hamad |first1=Michael |title=Democrats introduce new tolls bill, but Gov. Ned Lamont and others have repeatedly said they're moving forward after battling for months without passage |url=https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-connecticut-senate-tolls-bill-2021-20210112-uu7k4xw3dfdb5o4xelrcoezyde-story.html |work=courant.com |publisher=The Hartford Courant}} and helped lead the successful passage of legislation bringing free community college to Connecticut.{{cite news |last1=Lambeck |first1=Linda Conner |title=Connecticut's debt-free college program called an investment |url=https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Connecticut-s-debt-free-college-program-won-t-13935979.php |work=Connecticut Post |date=4 June 2019}} He has voted in favor of Paid Family and Medical Leave, a $15 minimum wage, a ban on ghost guns, cannabis legalization and police accountability reforms.{{cite web |title=Senator Haskell Votes for Absentee Ballot Expansion, Insulin Price-cap, Police Accountability, and Telehealth Coverage Legislation |url=http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/haskell-news/3350-haskell-200729#sthash.BUFV6ktv.dpbs |website=Connecticut Senate Democrats |date=July 29, 2020 |language=en-gb}} During his first term, he co-sponsored 23 new laws and held over 70 town hall meetings. Haskell has earned a 100% approval score from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, an "F" grade from the NRA Political Victory Fund,{{cite web |title=NRA-PVF {{!}} Connecticut |url=https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/connecticut |website=nrapvf.org |publisher=NRA-PVF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103170412/https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/connecticut |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |language=en-us |url-status=usurped}} and a 100% attendance record for votes on the Senate floor. His campaigns and legislative career have been reported on in The New York Times,{{cite news |last1=Pager |first1=Tyler |title=Obama Just Gave a College Grad a Job Reference. The Job? State Senator. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/nyregion/will-haskell-obama-endorsement.html |work=The New York Times |date=8 October 2018}} Teen Vogue,{{cite news |title=This 22-Year-Old Won Against a Republican Who Has Held Office as Long as He's Been Alive |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/meet-will-haskell-22-year-old-beat-republican |work=Teen Vogue |date=14 November 2018}} ABC News, Time Magazine,{{cite magazine |last1=Li |first1=Ang |last2=Most |first2=Anne |title=Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat |url=https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/ |magazine=Time |language=en}} and Quartz.{{cite news |last1=Timsit |first1=Annabelle |title=Meet the 22-year-old representing one of Connecticut's richest districts |url=https://qz.com/1468283/will-haskell-connecticuts-youngest-state-senator/ |work=Quartz |language=en}}
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?516907-1/after-words-haskell After Words interview with Haskell on 100,000 First Bosses, February 13, 2022], C-SPAN}}
On January 3, 2022, Haskell announced that he would not seek reelection that year and would retire at the end of his term, citing his desire to attend law school and live closer to his then-fiancée, Katie Cion, in New York City. Both are from in Westport, CT.https://www.ctpost.com/politics/article/Mr-Haskell-goes-to-Hartford-13521446.php {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change |title=2020 Connecticut State Senate elections{{cite web|url = https://www.ctpost.com/projects/2020/election-results/#state|title = Election Results: State Senate - District 26 - General|date = November 3, 2020|accessdate = December 23, 2020|website = Connecticut Post|agency = Associated Press|archive-date = November 7, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201107050004/https://www.ctpost.com/projects/2020/election-results/#state|url-status = dead}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Will Haskell (incumbent)
|votes = 38,581
|percentage = 58.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Kim Healy
|votes = 27,549
|percentage = 41.7
}}
{{Election box total no change|
| votes = 66,130
| percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change|title=2018 Connecticut State Senate elections{{cite web|url = https://elections.ap.org/ctpost/election_results/2018-11-06/state/CT/race/G/raceid/7081|title = Election Results: State Senate - District 26 - General|date = November 6, 2018|accessdate = September 3, 2019|website = Connecticut Post|publisher = Associated Press}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Will Haskell
|votes = 27,991
|percentage = 53.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Toni Boucher (incumbent)
|votes = 24,512
|percentage = 46.7
}}
{{Election box total no change|
| votes = 52,503
| percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
|loser = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
Personal life
On September 30, 2023, Haskell married Katie Cion, with whom he had been in a relationship since 2019.{{Cite web |last=Vaughan |first=Sophie |date=2019-01-10 |title=Mr. Haskell goes to Hartford |url=https://www.ctpost.com/politics/article/Mr-Haskell-goes-to-Hartford-13521446.php |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Connecticut Post |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=RegistryFinder.com |url=https://registryfinder.com/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=registryfinder.com |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title=Member of the Connecticut Senate
from the 26th District|before=Toni Boucher|after=Ceci Maher|years=2019–2023}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haskell, Will}}
Category:21st-century American memoirists
Category:Democratic Party Connecticut state senators
Category:Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni
Category:People from New Canaan, Connecticut
Category:People from Westport, Connecticut
Category:Staples High School alumni
Category:Writers from Connecticut
Category:21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly