Kevin C. Kelly is an American lawyer and politician from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he has been 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 ...

since 2011, elected from the 21st District. He has been Senate Republican Minority Leader since 2021.

Education

Kelly earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from Assumption College in 1982, an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from Fairfield University in 1985, and a J.D. from

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. In ...

in 1997.John Burgeson
Kelly loses Stratford but prevails in the 21st
Associated Press (November 7, 2018).

Legal and political career

Kelly was formerly a town attorney. He has a law office, Kevin Kelly & Associates, in Stratford, specializing in

elder law Elder rights are the rights of older adults (usually those in the seventh decade of life or older, although this definition is disputed), who in various countries are not recognized as a constitutionally protected class, yet face discrimination ...

.Ethan Fry
Kevin Kelly: Republican, candidate for state Senate District 21
''CT Post'' (September 28, 2020). Before opening his legal practice, Kelly spent 13 years as an investigator for the Connecticut Department of Social Services. In 1992, Kelly ran for the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in the 121st district. However, he lost the election to Terry Backer. Since 2011, he has been a State Senator, representing part of the

Naugatuck River Valley The Naugatuck River Valley is the watershed area of the Naugatuck River in the western part of Connecticut. The Naugatuck Valley straddles parts of Litchfield County, New Haven, and Fairfield counties. The Route 8 corridor and Waterbury Branch ...

in the Connecticut Senate, including all of the town of

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire * Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire * Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bed ...

and part of the towns of Monroe, Seymour, and Stratford. In 2010, Kelly defeated James Miron, a former mayor of Stratford. In 2012, Kelly ran unopposed for the seat. In 2014, Kelly won reelection, defeating Democrat Prez Palmer. In 2016, Kelly won a fourth term in the Senate, again defeating Palmer. In 2018, Kelly won a fifth term in the Senate, defeating Democratic nominee Monica Tujak Brill. He ran unopposed in 2020. In 2016, Kelly expressed support for Trump's presidential candidacy. In November 2020, the Senate Republican caucus elected Kelly to the post of Senate Minority Leader, replacing Len Fasano, who retired; Kelly appointed

Paul Formica Paul Formica is an American restaurateur and Republican member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing the 20th District since 2015. Previously, Formica was the First Selectman of the town of East Lyme from 2007 to 2015. Early life Formi ...

as his deputy. As of 2020, Kelly was the

ranking member In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as '' ex officio'' member ...

of the Senate committees on Aging, Insurance and Real Estate, and Children, and a member of the Regulation Review Committee. In the state Senate, Kelly has championed efforts to make pregnancy a "qualifying life event" for purposes of health insurance enrollment; the legislation was supported by the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors. In 2020, Kelly voted against a police reform and accountability bill.Kevin Kelly
Op-Ed: Kelly talks opposition to police reform bill
''Shelton Herald'' (July 29, 2020).

Personal life

Kelly is married and has four children and five grandchildren.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Kevin C. 21st-century American politicians Assumption University (Worcester) alumni Republican Party Connecticut state senators Fairfield University alumni Living people University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Year of birth missing (living people)