Andrew Mark Fleischmann was a Democratic 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 ...

, who represented the 18th Assembly District, which consists of portions of

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...

, United States. A graduate of Hall High School in West Hartford, Fleischmann attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and graduated cum laude with an A.B. from the

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...

with

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

honors. He completed a 158-page long senior thesis titled "The Community Action Program and Black Political Power." He received a master's degree in history from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, with a concentration on modern U.S.

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

. Representative

Miles S. Rapoport Miles S. Rapoport (born October 15, 1949) is an American politician who served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1995 to 1999. A progressive Democrat, he went on to serve as president of Demos and Common Cause. Early life and educ ...

launched a successful bid for Connecticut Secretary of State in 1994. Fleischmann defeated five

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

opponents to become the Democratic candidate to succeed Rapoport in the 18th Assembly District and won the general election that November. He was re-elected in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. In 2010, House Majority Leader Denise Merrill launched a successful bid for Connecticut Secretary of State. Flesichmann narrowly lost a bid to Brendan Sharkey to succeed Merrill as House Majority Leader in the 2011 legislative session. Fleischmann was Chairman of the House Education Committee and of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Elementary and Secondary Education. He had given particular attention to strengthening state funding for public schools, increasing academic rigor for students and educators alike, and protecting children from harmful pesticides. When he served on the Government Administration and Elections Committee, he was a leading proponent of

campaign finance reform Campaign finance reform may refer to: * Reform of campaign finance Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referen ...

- a set of statutory changes that set up Connecticut's Citizens' Election Program - allowing candidates to collect only small contributions ($5-$100) from individuals, and then receive a public grant for their campaign. He had opposed subsequent efforts to undermine this system since its creation in 2005. Fleischmann, a 12-term incumbent, ran for re-election in 2018 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Jillian Gilchrest. Fleischmann serves as president and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Fleischmann and his wife live in West Hartford with their two daughters.

References

External links

State Representative Andy Fleischmann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischmann, Andy Living people Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Stanford University alumni Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni People from West Hartford, Connecticut 21st-century American legislators Year of birth missing (living people) Hall High School (Connecticut) alumni 21st-century Connecticut politicians