Enter Anthony DiLizia. Glastonbury Democrat collecting signatures for 31st House District primary after Barry defeat.

Glastonbury Town Council member Anthony DiLizia sees an opportunity and he is taking it. With incumbent Jill Barry’s surprise defeat at a nominating caucus by Working Families Party favorite Moise Carelus, there’s an opportunity for a new candidate to seek the party’s nomination. DiLizia is serving his first term on the council.

Barry has chosen not to obtain petitions to begin collecting the several hundred signatures needed to secure a place on the primary ballot. Local Democratic regulars do not want their party taken over by Working Families Party activists based on a caucus of about 100 registered Democrats. So DiLizia has stepped forward.

He has begun circulating petitions on Monday, June 1st and has until the end of the day on Tuesday, June 9th to turn in the requisite number to the Glastonbury registrar of voters.

The signature collection process is an opportunity to show some early strength by turning in far more than the 5% required to appear on the August 11th primary ballot. The 31st House District is contained completely within Glastonbury, though it does not include the entire town.

Republicans in the district have not elected one of their own since 2016.

UPDATE: Anthony DiLizia spoke to Daily Ructions Monday evening. He has begun collecting the 286 signatures required to qualify for a primary. It will be a whirlwind week for the 30 year old who served six years in the U.S. Army. He joined upon graduating from high school and shortly after had a top secret clearance as an intelligence analyst.

DiLizia is the executive director of a mental health non-profit and is enrolled in Yale’s executive MBA program.

He attended the May 26th caucus at which Barry was defeated and concluded that a surprise challenge undermines transparency in the political process. More local Democrats should have a choice in the nominating process. A primary will provide that.

DiLizia was a delegate to the First Congressional District nominating convention and cast his vote for Luke Bronin.

Published June 1, 2026. Updated June 2, 2026.