Sen. Martin M. Looney, an influential voice in Connecticut legislative politics and policies as the longest-serving leader of the state Senate, told his caucus Saturday that he will not seek reelection this fall after 46 years as a lawmaker. Looney, 77, a Democrat from New Haven, a progressive with a pragmatic bent, has played significant […]
Sen. Martin M. Looney, an influential voice in Connecticut legislative politics and policies as the longest-serving leader of the state Senate, told his caucus Saturday that he will not seek reelection this fall after 46 years as a lawmaker.
Looney, 77, a Democrat from New Haven, a progressive with a pragmatic bent, has played significant roles in the passage of laws that have produced one of the highest minimum wages, a mandate on private employers to provide sick days, and a paid family and medical leave program.
“His legacy here is truly remarkable,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk. “He’s fought for things that have taken years to accomplish, and things that many people had given up on, that had impact people’s lives so much for the better.”
Duff is expected to succeed him as Senate president pro tem, the chamber’s top leader. Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, has been seeking commitments to succeed Duff as majority leader.
With a 25-11 majority, Democrats are a lock to retain control of the Senate.
Looney’s announcement was not unexpected.
A decade after a successful kidney transplant and nearly a lifetime of the arthritis that bent his spine, Looney had registered as a candidate for reelection without definitively committing to going forward or making more than a token fundraising effort.
An ally, Rep. Al Paolillo, D-New Haven, had delayed filing papers for reelection to the House, a sign that Looney had suggested he wait and run for the Senate instead from the 11th Senate District of New Haven and Hamden.
The only surprise was the timing, coming just as the Senate was to begin debate on passage of revisions to the two-year budget, and not next week. With the budget bill being the only item up for a floor vote, Saturday was expected to be last day of relative calm before the constitutional adjournment deadline of midnight Wednesday.
“I think the last three days of session are just too hectic. You know, there’s so much going on, and people are worried about getting their bills done and all of that,” Looney said in an interview Saturday.
A staffer standing by laughed and noted it was the answer of a legislator who rarely has overshadowed the business of the General Assembly.
Looney then held a brief press conference about the budget. He never mentioned his retirement.
Looney began broadly sharing his plans Saturday morning, when he was one of many lawmakers attending the funeral of former Rep. Stephen Dargan in West Haven. He told Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, who shared a pew, after the Mass. He called others on the drive to Hartford, then addressed his caucus.
Looney has pushed for higher taxes on the wealthy and the creation of a child tax credit, putting him at odds with Gov. Ned Lamont, who found the former unnecessary and the latter unaffordable.
But Looney never broke with Lamont, instead working on progressive measures the governor could accept, including more money for an earned income tax credit and support for various labor bills, including a ban on “captive audience” meetings that companies sometimes used to hector workers against joining a union.
As an old friend told Connecticut Mirror for a profile published shortly before the 2026 session opened in February, “He’s always willing to take the slice, not the whole loaf.”
Lamont, in the same story, acknowledged their differences over taxes but noted their partnership on major labor bills, other than a bill that would have given strikers jobless benefits. Lamont vetoed it.
“He’s got a lot of heart. He’s got strong principles,” Lamont said. “No question, we don’t agree on everything, but we start where we do agree, and that’s always a good way to start in life. You know, we got the minimum wage done together.”
On Saturday, Lamont issued a statement ignoring their differences and underscoring their common ground: “I am grateful to have had him as a partner and a friend in the Capitol.”
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, who was not born when Looney was first elected to the General Assemby, said, “He has been a mentor and a steady influence, especially in our positions as leaders of the House and Senate.”
Looney served with Ritter’s father, Tom, a former speaker.
Looney was elected to the House in 1980 and the Senate in 1992. As a House member, he voted in 1991 for Connecticut’s first broad tax on wages, a flat 4.5% levy that he has worked to make more progressive ever since. Rates for low and middle incomes have been cut, and on the upper end, raised to 6.99%.
Looney was Senate majority leader for 12 years, beginning in January 2003, not long after he had contemplated leaving the legislature. In 2001, he challenged New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, losing a Democratic primary — and ensuring his continued presence in Hartford.
In January 2015, he succeeded Donald Williams Jr. in the top spot as Senate president pro tem. Looney holds the record for longevity in both positions, milestones he reached without public notice or comment.
His departure ends an era in both chambers, marking the exit of the two-longest serving lawmakers. The only other legislator remaining from the class of 1980, Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, also is retiring at the end this term.
