Democrat Jill Oberlander lifts Democratic prospects in 36th Senate District.

Greenwich Democrat Jill Oberlander is boosting Democratic hopes of winning the 36th State Senate District in November. Incumbent Republican Ryan Fazio is giving up the seat to run for governor.

The district is dominated by Greenwich and also includes parts of both Stamford and New Canaan. Fazio has won three of his four bids for the seat, losing his first one to Democrat Alex Kasser, who became the first Democrat to win the seat in more than 80 years in 2018. Kasser resigned less than a year after winning re-election in 2020–defeating Fazio, who won the 2021 special election to replace Kasser. He was re-elected in 2022 and 2024.

In 2017, Oberlander became the first Democrat to serve as the chair of the Board of Estimate. She unsuccessfully sought the first selectman’s job in 2019, but won enough votes to become her party’s sole member on the Board of Selectman. She did not seek re-election in 2021. Her last meeting on the board included generous praise from First Selectman Fred Camillo. She first served in local office as a member of the Representative Town Meeting. Greenwich has a complicated municipal government with diffuse responsibilities and authority.

Oberlander lost a 2014 campaign for the state House of Representatives by 244 votes. She became ensnared in a campaign finance violation in 2017 when a fellow Democratic candidate for the Board of Estimate, Joe Turner, was fined $52,000 for exceeding campaign spending limits to benefit himself and his ticket mates. Oberlander and four other Democrats were each fined $1,000 for “an unintentional violation of failing to file an amended form.”

State Representative Tina Courpas’s decision not to seek the Republican nomination for the Senate seat may have improved Democratic recruitment efforts. Courpas has been a standout freshman Republican in the House and would have been a strong candidate for the Senate seat. House Republicans see a promising future for the diligent Courpas.

Republicans are expected to endorse Greenwich resident Joe Kelly. He’s a popular former high school rugby coach and has had careers in brokering nuclear fuel and real estate development. Kelly served on the Greenwich school board and unsuccessfully sought a seat in the state House of Representatives in 2020, losing to Democrat Stephen Meskers by 1,202 votes.

Republicans will treat the Senate race in the 36th as a top priority. Their chances of holding the seat will improve if Fazio is heading the state Republican ticket. Democrats see it as a winnable contest in a year that shows signs of a blue wave forming, particularly in affluent places like the ones in lower Fairfield County.

Published March 4, 2026.