Robert Duff (born 1971 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is an American politician, currently serving as a member of the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

, where he represents Norwalk and part of Darien in Connecticut's 25th District. He previously served as a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

, representing the 137th District. He is currently Majority Leader of the Connecticut Senate, and serves as chair of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and vice chair of the Legislative Management Committee.

Early life and education

Duff is a fifth-generation resident of

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

. He was born and raised in Norwalk and graduated from Norwalk High School in 1989. He attended

Lynchburg College The University of Lynchburg, formerly Lynchburg College, is a private university associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Lynchburg, Virginia. It has approximately 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students. ...

, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1993. He worked as a substitute teacher for the Norwalk Public Schools from 1993 to 1995. While in college, Duff was a student senator, and an intern for United States Senator

Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. H ...

Career

He was a field coordinator for the

John B. Larson John Barry Larson (born July 22, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district is based in the state capital, Hartford. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson chaired the Ho ...

for Governor Campaign in 1994. He was a campaign manager in the Norwalk mayoral race in 1995. As serving in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

is a part-time position, most members have full-time jobs. Duff has worked as a realtor for William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty since 1995. In 2001, he ran in a special election for the seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives left vacant by Alex Knopp when he took office as mayor of Norwalk. He beat Republican Kevin Fitzgerald by 281 votes (1210 -929). He was re-elected in the 2002 general election. As a state Representative, Duff served as the House vice-chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, and as a member of the Banks, Higher Education & Advancement Committee and the Select Committee on Housing. In 2004, Duff sought the State Senate seat left open by Republican Robert Genuario who became Gov. M. Jodi Rell's budget chief.The Connecticut Mirror - State Sen. Bob Duff
He ran against Republican Jeff Konspore, chairman of the Norwalk school board. As a state senator, and prior to becoming Majority Leader in 2015, Duff was Deputy Majority Whip from 2005 to 2006, Majority Whip from 2007 to 2008, Assistant Majority Leader from 2009 to 2012, and Assistant President Pro Tempore from 2013 to 2014. In February 2021, Duff equated parents opposing a ban to the religious exemption for mandatory childhood vaccination to members of QAnon. The Tweet came during a 24-hour marathon hearing.

Awards

* Legislator of the Year,

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

of Connecticut, 2003 * Legislator of the Year Award, National Association of Social Workers, Connecticut Chapter, 2005 * Rick Wallace Award of Merit Legislator of the Year Award, Connecticut Association of Not-for-profit Providers for the Aging.

References

External links

State Senate Democrats - Bob Duff

Bob Duff at Ballotpedia

Bob Duff at Vote Smart

Connecticut Business and Industry Association

Bob Duff at Facebook
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Bob 1971 births 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Living people Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Norwalk High School (Connecticut) alumni Politicians from Norwalk, Connecticut University of Lynchburg alumni