Danté Bartolomeo

Bartolomeo's father Craig Self was a Republican who served as town chairman of Wallingford, Connecticut. Bartolomeo attributed her political positioning as a fiscal moderate to his influence, and her mother, Barbara Calza Self, for her views on social liberalism.[1][2] Bartolomeo has a sister, Elizabeth Mercedes Craig Self.[1] Bartolomeo is a 1987 graduate of Mercy High School in Middletown and earned her bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Colby College in 1991 with a cum laude distinction.[3] She and her husband Doug Bartolomeo, a retired police officer, have two children.[3]

Bartolomeo was a member of the Meriden City Council from July 2008 to December 2012.[3] She succeeded Michael Rohde as representative of Area 2, after Rohde had been elected mayor.[4] During her first state legislative campaign against incumbent state representative Len Suzio in 2012, Bartolomeo claimed that his supporters were using push polls to gain an advantage.[5] Suzio's win in a 2011 special election was considered a "fluke", due in part to the fact that Suzio's predecessor Thomas Gaffey had violated electoral law.[6] Bartolomeo defeated Suzio, and took office as a Democratic legislator representing the thirteenth district of the Connecticut Senate.[7] She faced Suzio for a second time in 2014, and won reelection.[8] Bartolomeo's 2016 campaign was unsuccessful,[3][9] and Suzio, backed by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association,[10][11] returned to office. In January 2019, Ned Lamont appointed Bartolomeo deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.[4] After Kurt Westby announced his intention to retire, Lamont promoted Bartolomeo in June 2021.[12] The Connecticut Senate confirmed Bartolomeo to the position in February 2022.[13]