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Jonathan Harris (politician)

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Jonathan A. Harris
Member of the Connecticut State Senate
from the 5th district
In office
January 2005 – January 2011
Preceded byKevin Sullivan
Succeeded byBeth Bye
ConstituencyRepresented Bloomfield (part), Burlington, Farmington (part), and West Hartford
Mayor of West Hartford
In office
2001–2004
DeputyScott Slifka
Succeeded byScott Slifka
Personal details
Born (1964-04-12) April 12, 1964 (age 60)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLucy Bourgoin Harris
Children1
ResidenceWest Hartford, Connecticut
Alma mater
ProfessionAttorney

Jonathan A. Harris (born 1964) is an American politician. Harris, a Democrat, is the former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. He served as a state senator from Connecticut's Fifth District from 2005 to 2011.

Early life

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Harris grew up in West Hartford and graduated from Hall High School and later from Brandeis University. He worked for U.S. Congressman Barbara Kennelly before earning a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.

Political career

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Harris, a resident of West Hartford, represented Bloomfield (part), Burlington, Farmington (part), and West Hartford in the Connecticut Senate. Prior to being elected to the Senate, he served as mayor of West Hartford.

On April 1, 2010, Harris formally entered the race for Connecticut Secretary of the State. He was endorsed by U.S. Rep. John B. Larson (D-CT) and West Hartford mayor Scott Slifka.[1] Harris narrowly missed receiving the Democratic Party's nomination at the state convention. He withdrew from the race on June 7, 2010.

In March 2011, Harris was appointed Deputy Treasurer of the State of Connecticut. He served until May 2012. On May 11, 2012, State Party Chair Nancy Dinardo announced that Harris would succeed Eric Hyers as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee.[2] In December 2014, Harris was nominated to succeed William M. Rubenstein as the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection.[3] He served as commissioner from 2015 to 2017.

On February 24, 2018, Harris officially announced his run for governor of Connecticut. Prior to that date, he had been exploring a run for statewide office. As of January 1, 2018, Harris had raised $232,745.[4] Harris dropped out of the race on April 27, 2018 and endorsed Ned Lamont.[5] Harris joined the Lamont administration as the undersecretary of comprehensive planning and intergovernmental policy at the Office of Policy and Management. In July 2019, he was promoted to senior adviser to Gov. Lamont.[6]

In 2021, Harris joined Eversource Energy as Director of Regulatory Affairs.[7]

Electoral history

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Connecticut Senate: General Election 2004: 5th District
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jonathan A. Harris 28,502 58.0
Republican Kevin Connors 20,629 42.0
Connecticut Senate: General Election 2006: 5th District
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jonathan A. Harris 27,164 70.2
Republican Kimberly E. Ryder 11,526 29.8
Connecticut Senate: General Election 2008: 5th District
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jonathan A. Harris 36,040 70.9
Republican Joseph Merritt 14,807 29.1

Personal life

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Harris is married to Lucy B. Harris.

References

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  1. ^ "Jonathan Harris Enters Race For Secretary Of The State - Hartford Cou…". archive.ph. 2012-07-24. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  2. ^ "Connecticut Democratic Party Names New Executive Director | Democratic Party of Connecticut". Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  3. ^ "Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont".
  4. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (2018-02-24). "Jonathan Harris declares candidacy for governor". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  5. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (2018-04-27). "Harris ends bid for governor, endorses Lamont". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  6. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (2019-07-10). "Lamont to retool, promoting Harris and hiring Reiss". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  7. ^ "Jonathan Harris". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
Preceded by Connecticut Senator from the Fifth District
2005–2011 		Succeeded by


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