Lost among the commotion of another very competitive race for governor in Connecticut was the fact that Republicans attained their highest number of seats in 20 years in the Connecticut House.
"I think it's a sea change," said State Rep. Larry Cafero, of Norwalk, the Republicans' outgoing minority leader.
Some of the gains came in southern Connecticut, where Republicans outside New Haven gave gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley consistent support.
The balance of power in the Connecticut House shifted from 97 Democrats and 57 Republicans to 87 Democrats and 67 Republicans on Election Day.
Even with the shift, House Speaker Brendan Sharkey told reporters that he doesn't think the dynamic will change much inside the House chamber, where he said working with the other party is the norm.
"More than 95 percent of the bills we do are done on a bipartisan basis so I think it's important always to listen to what the public are telling us," Sharkey said.
Cafero said the gains shouldn't be viewed as the Connecticut microcosm of the GOP wave that swept across the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but said he thinks it will affect how policy is crafted before it reaches the House floor.
“Now they have to count every vote because it’s that close, so people are going to think a lot harder about their votes," Cafero said. "I think bills are going to be scrutinized a lot more. I think it’s a huge, huge, political difference for the state of Connecticut.”
