Aundré Bumgardner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 41st district | |
| In office January 2023 – Present | |
| Preceded by | Joe de la Cruz |
| In office January 2015 – January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Elissa Wright |
| Succeeded by | Joe de la Cruz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 5, 1994[1] New London, Connecticut |
| Political party | Republican (before 2017) Democratic (2017-present) |
| Residence | Groton, Connecticut |
| Website | ballotpedia |
Aundré Bumgardner (born July 5, 1994) is an American politician, a Democrat and formerly a member of the Republican party.
Family and early life
His father is African American and his mother is from Puerto Rico.[2]
Political career
Connecticut House of Representatives
Aundré served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, as a Republican, representing Connecticut's 41st assembly district in the General Assembly. Bumgardner was first elected in 2014 and was defeated in 2016. He was the youngest ever person elected to the House at the age of 20.[3] Aundré was re-elected to the 41st district seat as a Democrat in 2022 defeating Republican Robert Boris in a landslide victory.[4] His predecessor Joe de la Cruz had not sought reelection citing an inability to continue with the job for the salary offered to lawmakers.[5]
Groton Town Council
In 2018, Bumgardner was appointed to a vacant seat on the Groton Town Council.[6]
In 2019, Bumgardner was re-elected to the Groton Town Council.[7]
Party switch
In 2018 Bumgardner announced that he was leaving the Republican Party after the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He said that “It wasn’t even so much the words President Trump used, but more so the inaction coming from the Republican Party, not just at the national level, but to a certain extent the state and local level. Silence is absolute complicity.” As of 2018 he was working as the campaign treasurer for the man who unseated him, Rep. Joe de la Cruz, while completing his college education. Bumgardner is a member of the Democratic Town Committee of Groton.[8]
References
- ↑ "Groton RTC Campaign Kick-Off Party". Groton Republican Town Committee. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ↑ "20-year-old Latino wins election as CT state representative". 19 November 2014.
- ↑ "GOP ties Democrats in state Senate, closes gap in House". 9 November 2016.
- ↑ "Ballotpedia: Aundré Bumgardner Electoral History". 23 October 2023.
- ↑ "Joe de la Cruz Will Not Seek Reelection". 2 February 2022.
- ↑ "Bumgardner appointed to vacant Groton Town Council seat". theday.com. The Day. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ↑ "Groton Democrats again sweep Town Council". theday.com. The Day. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ↑ Pazniokas, Mark (24 January 2018). "A rising GOP star at 20, Aundré Bumgardner defects over Trump". ctmirror.com. CT Mirror. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
