Jason Bartlett (politician)

Infobox State Representative
honorific-prefix =
name =Rep. Jason Bartlett
honorific-suffix =

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height =150px
state_house =Connecticut
district =2^nd
term_start =2007
term_end =present
preceded =Hank Bielawa
succeeded =
birth_date =
birth_place =
residence =Bethel, Connecticut
party =Democrat
spouse =
website =

Jason Bartlett is an American businessman and politician from Connecticut. A Democrat, he is a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives representing the state's second district, which includes parts of Bethel, Danbury and Redding.

Bartlett was raised in Redding and graduated from Redding Public Schools, before earning a B.A. in political science from the University of Connecticut.

He was elected a state representative in 2006, defeating Republican Phil Gallagher by 4,112 votes (54 percent) to 3,524 (46 percent).cite web |title=Connecticut Secretary of State: 2006 general election results |accessdate=2008-02-19 |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVIII/SOV06Assembly.htm] He had previously run in 2002 and 2004, losing on both occasions to Republican Hank Bielawa. He lost by over 450 votes in 2002, but the 2004 result was exceptionally close — Bartlett lost by just 87 votes, with 49.6 percent of the vote to Bielawa's 50.4 percent.cite web |title=Connecticut Secretary of State: 2004 general election results |accessdate=2008-02-19 |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVIII/SOV04Assembly.htm] cite web |title=Connecticut Secretary of State: 2002 general election results |accessdate=2008-02-19 |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVIII/SOV02Assembly.htm]

For over a decade, Bartlett has owned and operated his own mortgage company.cite web |url=http://www.nbjcoalition.org/news/nbjc-exclusive-the-coming.html |title=NBJC Exclusive: The Coming Out of Jason Bartlett |accessdate=2008-02-21 |date=2008-02-19] He is the owner of Connecticut First Capitol in Bethel as well as a restaurant in Hartford. [cite news |url=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17450232&BRD=1663&PAG=461&dept_id=13848&rfi=6 |title=Bartlett wins in third bid |work=Bethel Beacon |accessdate=2008-02-19 |date=2006-11-10] Bartlett is no longer with the mortgage company he owned and operated, and now works for the National Black Justice Coalition, a non-profit dedicated to ending racism and homophobia by empowering black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.cite web |url=http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?id=19982&section=67 |title=NBJC Hires Connecticut State Representative as Deputy Director |accessdate=2008-08-27 |date=2008-08-16]

He raised two sons, the children of his deceased uncle and aunt. Now 21 and 19 years old and both attending community college in Connecticut, they came to live with him when they were 11 and 9 respectively.

Bartlett is gay [cite news |url=http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_8303986 |title=Bartlett announces publicly he's gay |work=Danbury News-Times |accessdate=2008-02-19 |date=2008-02-19] and is one of six openly gay members of the Connecticut General Assembly, serving alongside Reps. Mike Lawlor (D–East Haven), Art Feltman (D–Hartford) and Beth Bye (D–West Hartford), as well as Sens. Andrew J. McDonald (D–Stamford) and Andrew M. Maynard (D–Stonington).

Although his district is 96 percent white, Bartlett is African American. He is also the country's only (and quite possibly its first) openly gay black state legislator. [cite news |url=http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52301.asp |title=Bartlett Becomes First Out Black State Lawmaker |work=The Advocate |accessdate=2008-02-19 |date=2008-02-19]

References

External links

* [http://www.housedems.ct.gov/bartlett/index.asp Legislative homepage]