PROUDLY SERVING THE 16TH DISTRICT
State Senator Rob Sampson
Senior Deputy Republican Leader
Rob Sampson, re-elected to a fourth term in 2024, represents Connecticut’s 16th District. He is the Ranking Member on the Government Administration & Elections Committee, the Housing Committee, and the Labor & Public Employees Committee. Rob is widely known as an advocate for America’s core principles, restoring our system of limited, representative, constitutional government, protecting private contracts and defending the natural rights of his constituents.
“I am honored to be chosen by the people of the 16th District as their voice at the State Capitol. I remain committed to defending our American principles of freedom, representation, limited constitutional self-government, and the rule of law. I believe that with hard work and our collective voices, Connecticut can become a safer and more affordable state with a bright future for all. As always, I will put in the hard work to make it happen.”
LATEST COLUMN
'Your Vote Belongs to You' (September 2026)
There are few things more personal than your vote.
It belongs to you, not to a political party, a campaign operative, a government bureaucrat, or someone standing in your living room telling you what to do with your ballot.
Corruption thrives when no one is held accountable.
Yesterday at the Capitol I stood with my friend and future Governor Ryan Fazio as he laid out his case for greater transparency and accountability in Connecticut government.
This isn’t about one bad headline or one isolated incident. We’ve watched scandal after scandal raise serious questions about how taxpayer dollars are spent, how contracts are awarded, and whether anyone in power is ever held responsible.
Kosta Diamantis, a former top state official, was convicted on all 21 federal counts involving bribery, extortion, conspiracy and false statements. That alone should have been a wake-up call.
Connecticut taxpayers deserve answers.
They deserve transparency.
And when government officials abuse the public trust, they deserve real accountability.
I’ve been fighting for that accountability for years, and I’m not stopping now.
CONNECTICUT’S CULTURE OF CORRUPTION, FAVORITISM & FAILED ACCOUNTABILITY:
1. KOSTA DIAMANTIS — BRIBERY, SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION & RELATED FAVORITISM
Former OPM deputy secretary and school construction chief Kosta Diamantis was convicted on all 21 federal counts, including bribery, extortion, conspiracy, and lying to investigators. Prosecutors proved that he accepted more than $75,000 from contractors while overseeing school construction projects. State officials had also received complaints about bidding practices before the scandal became public. In a related ethics controversy, former Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo hired Diamantis’ daughter while seeking assistance from Diamantis and OPM concerning prosecutor salaries.
www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/newhaven/news/former-state-official-found-guilty-of-extortio...
www.ctpublic.org/2025-10-22/kosta-diamantis-trial-guilty-verdict-ct
2. DSS MEDICAID AUDIT / DEIDRE GIFFORD
A Medicaid audit involving a politically connected provider was halted, and records later showed that senior Lamont administration official Deidre Gifford was involved in the decision. The matter became intertwined with the broader federal investigation involving Diamantis and former Rep. Chris Ziogas. Gifford was not criminally charged.
3. MIGUEL CARDONA — $250,000 NO-BID CONTRACT
Governor Lamont appointed former Education Commissioner and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to chair the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission. Cardona’s company then received a $250,000 no-bid contract to support the commission he chairs. Lamont later acknowledged that he knew of and approved the arrangement.
ctmirror.org/2026/08/31/lamont-said-he-okd-a-250k-no-bid-contract-with-miguel-cardona/
4. TERRENCE CHENG / CSCU — P-CARD SPENDING, $442,000 ADVISORY JOB & AI REPORT
CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng admitted to misuse of a state purchasing card amid scrutiny of expensive meals and other expenses. After leaving the chancellor position, he remained on the payroll as a special adviser at his full $442,000 annual salary. His principal work product was a roughly 2,000-page report that news organizations’ AI-analysis tools concluded appeared to be largely AI-generated. Separate audits also uncovered broader purchasing-card and internal-control problems across the university system.
www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/board-of-regents-recieves-2000-page-report-on-how-to-fix-state-...
5. STATE PIER — COST OVERRUNS & CONTRACTING QUESTIONS
The New London State Pier redevelopment grew from an approximately $93 million project to one costing more than $300 million. State auditors raised significant concerns about contracting practices, competition, and oversight.
6. SOCIAL EQUITY COUNCIL — GRANTS, GOVERNANCE & FINANCIAL CONTROLS
The Social Equity Council came under scrutiny over its grant-making process, governance, and financial controls. Governor Lamont ordered a special review, and the Comptroller’s examination subsequently identified weaknesses and issued ten recommendations intended to strengthen accountability and program integrity.
osc.ct.gov/articles/comptroller-sean-scanlon-announces-findings-and-recommendations-from-social-e...
7. BLUE HILLS / SEN. DOUG McCRORY — MILLIONS IN EARMARKED FUNDS
Millions in state funds flowed through the Blue Hills Civic Association to businesses and nonprofits. A 2026 forensic audit could not account for documentation supporting approximately $2.4 million in taxpayer funds and found serious deficiencies in oversight and recordkeeping. Several recipients have also been subjects of an ongoing FBI investigation.
ctmirror.org/2026/09/02/blue-hills-civic-association-audit/
8. THE “CANDY STORE” — EARMARKS, HB 7066 & NONPROFIT FUNDING
Millions of taxpayer dollars have been directed to favored nonprofits and private organizations through legislative earmarks with limited public vetting. I have repeatedly stood on the Senate floor asking who requested particular grants, why recipients were selected, what the money would accomplish, and what safeguards existed, often without receiving meaningful answers.
One particularly striking example was HB 7066 in February 2025, which used the emergency-certification process to allocate nearly $3 million to 24 selected organizations without the normal committee and public-hearing process. Broader federal scrutiny of nonprofit and earmark funding has only underscored the need for transparency, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and meaningful vetting.
youtu.be/B0D8HP5dOGo?si=07cPXIb2pZwEvkuF
9. PURA / JOHN FONFARA APPOINTMENT ARRANGEMENT
Governor Lamont agreed to nominate Democratic Sen. John Fonfara to PURA during negotiations surrounding Marissa Gillett’s confirmation, raising questions about political bargaining involving appointments to one of Connecticut’s most consequential regulatory agencies.
10. DMV TOWED-CAR SCANDAL
A longtime DMV employee used his position in dealings with a towing company to acquire at least 15 vehicles at steep discounts and resell them for profit, according to DMV investigators. Despite investigators identifying the conduct years earlier, meaningful discipline did not occur until after investigative reporting exposed the case. The employee was finally fired in 2025.
www.propublica.org/article/connecticut-dmv-employee-sells-towed-cars
www.propublica.org/article/connecticut-dmv-fires-employee-who-made-thousands-selling-towed-cars
11. BRIDGEPORT ABSENTEE-BALLOT SCANDAL
A Superior Court judge overturned the 2023 Bridgeport Democratic mayoral primary and ordered a new election after evidence concerning absentee-ballot handling called the reliability of the result into question. This was not a Lamont administration scandal, but it became another major Connecticut example in the broader debate over political accountability and election safeguards.
www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-11-01/ct-judge-overturns-results-of-bridgeport-mayoral-primary-just-da...
This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are just some of the most prominent examples. There are others, additional matters remain under investigation, and new questions about the use of taxpayer dollars continue to emerge.
ctmirror.org/investigations/
I’ll be very brief, because I’ve always believed that a day like today does not belong to politicians or speeches.
It belongs to the people we lost, to the families who still carry that loss, and to the firefighters, police officers, first responders, service members, and ordinary Americans who showed extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable evil.
Twenty-five years later, our responsibility is simply to remember.
To remember the lives that were taken. To remember the heroism we witnessed. To remember how precious our country is, and how quickly all of our differences seemed small when Americans needed one another.
May we never forget September 11th, 2001, and may God continue to bless the families who lost so much, our first responders, and the United States of America.
ELECTRIC RATES
Connecticut families don't need a politician to tell them their electric bills are too high. They see it every month.
My latest campaign video addresses one of the biggest affordability problems facing our state: Skyrocketing Electric rates and the Public Benefits Charge.
And because I believe in bringing receipts, here are a few:
I stood with Connecticut ratepayers at the Capitol when they delivered their petition demanding action on the Public Benefits Charge:
youtu.be/_ykQbOPbTo8
I introduced legislation specifically prohibiting electric companies from using your electric bill to collect charges unrelated to purchasing or delivering electricity:
www.cga.ct.gov/2025/cbs/S/pdf/SB-0598.pdf
NBC Connecticut covered that proposal:
www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/legislation-takes-aim-at-extra-charges-electric-bill/3477273/
And I joined my Republican colleagues in presenting a detailed plan for electric-rate relief:
www.ctsenaterepublicans.com/2025/01/sen-sampson-ct-house-and-senate-republicans-offer-ideas-to-pr...
Your electric bill should be for electricity, not a convenient place for state government to hide the cost of its policies.
I've fought these charges before. I'm fighting them now. And I'll keep fighting for Connecticut ratepayers.
🎥 WATCH: ELECTRIC RATES