To the Editor:

I am writing to support the candidacies of Michelle Embree Ku to represent Newtown as the 106th district State Representative and Jahana Hayes to continue to represent the 5th district of Connecticut in the US House of Representatives.

School had been back in session only a few days when the news broke that a school shooting in Georgia had taken the lives of two teachers and two students. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, firearm fatalities increased 87.1% over a 10-year period and now are the leading cause of death of children and teenagers in the United States.

We need representatives in Hartford and Washington who will prioritize gun violence prevention.

Jahana Hayes has introduced legislation to launch and expand violence intervention programs in schools, joined gun violence prevention task forces to engage in bipartisan work to address the gun violence epidemic and co-led legislation to reveal the root causes of school shootings and develop legislative solutions. Jahana Hayes’ record speaks to her commitment to reducing gun violence in our schools and communities.

For Newtown, there is only one candidate running to represent the 106th district as State Representative who has been endorsed as a “gun sense candidate,” Michelle Embree Ku. Michelle has advocated for gun violence prevention for more than a decade. In stark contrast, while representing Newtown, Michelle’s opponent voted against a 2023 bill that expanded gun violence prevention measures in Connecticut.

Please join me in voting for Michelle and Jahana on November 5.

Respectfully,

Cheryl Hartgraves

Newtown