State Sen. Marilyn Moore, a longtime representative of Bridgeport, announced Wednesday she will not run for reelection.
Speaking on the floor of the state Senate, the Democrat stressed the importance of lawmakers acting for other people and not for themselves.
"I've been in some tough fights since while I was here," Moore said. "But it has built me up to know that everything is possible. Everything."
Moore, 75, announced her decision to not run for reelection on the final day of the 2024 legislative session. Lawmakers advanced a variety of measures, but the short session, which ran from February to May, limited the time lawmakers had to act on several bills.
Moore, a former legislative aide from Bridgeport who also represented Monroe and Trumbull, said her time in the General Assembly was one full of challenges, but that it was an honor to serve.
"Bridgeport has been filled with corruption when I came here," Moore said. "All we wanted to do was lift up the city of Bridgeport and show people that you can walk in the door with integrity."
In 2019, Moore ran for mayor of Bridgeport, losing a close Democratic primary to Mayor Joe Ganim. A campaign in the most recent race for mayor fizzled, when she failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for last year's Democratic mayoral primary.
Moore said she's not sure what's next, but that the job of lawmakers is important.
"It's what we want to do," Moore said. "And do we have the will — do we have the will — to do these things for others and not for ourselves?"
Connecticut Public's Matt Dwyer, Michayla Savitt and Patrick Skahill contributed to this report.
