Witkos re-elected in 8th Senate District

State Sen. Kevin Witkos has been re-elected to his 8th District state senate seat, defeating challenger Melissa Osborne.

Witkos secured 29,637 votes, according to unofficial results on the Connecticut Secretary of the State to web site to Osborne's 26,771. Independent Keith James McConnell gained 1,109 votes.

The Witkos campaign called the race early Wednesday, stating on social media, "We are happy to announce that Sen. Witkos has won re-election!"

Osborne held off longer Wednesday, while absentee ballots were counted and one issue resolved but that evening said on social media, "After a day of alternating calls from friends and supporters offering both congratulations and condolences, the final results are in. I called Senator Witkos a moment ago and offered him my congratulations on his victory. It was a hard fought race and while the final margin was close, it is clear that Senator Witkos has won this race. I respect the process and I respect the will of the voters. Thank you to everyone for all the good wishes and support. I had extraordinary people who believed in and worked on this campaign and fought for the ideals that we all share. They can be proud of their efforts."

Witkos will return to Hartford for his seventh term as state senator and previously served six years in the state House of Representatives. A Canton resident and retired police officer, he currently works for Eversource.

Osborne, an attorney who lives in Simsbury challenged Witkos in 2014 and 2018. If her unofficially tally of 46.54 percent total of the vote carries through, it represents her strongest showing to date.

The race was one of the more contentious of the area.