--- title: Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat description: Will Haskell, a 22-year-old Georgetown graduate, has won a seat in the Connecticut state Senate. canonical: https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/ author: Ang Li article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-05T17:09:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:38:16.412Z article:section: Politics og:title: Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat og:description: "There is no minimum age for getting involved." og:url: https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7779449671a5f/69893e528fd2ee071a35d0e7/will2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1920 og:image:height: 1080 og:image:alt: will2.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Will Haskell, 22, Wins Connecticut State Senate Seat twitter:description: "There is no minimum age for getting involved." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7779449671a5f/69893e528fd2ee071a35d0e7/will2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Inside a 22-Year-Old's Historic Victory for a Connecticut State Senate Seat > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=51ec8260-4035-48dc-a5f2-31c08a24eac3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=51ec8260-4035-48dc-a5f2-31c08a24eac3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=51ec8260-4035-48dc-a5f2-31c08a24eac3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Ang Li / Westport, Conn.](https://time.com/author/ang-li/) and [Anne Most](https://time.com/author/anne-most/) Nov 5, 2018 5:09 PM UTC  22-year-old Connnecticut state Senate candidate Will Haskell speaks with a campaign volunteer during a phone bank in Westport, CT on Oct. 30, 2018. 22-year-old Connnecticut state Senate candidate Will Haskell speaks with a campaign volunteer during a phone bank in Westport, CT on Oct. 30, 2018. by [Ang Li / Westport, Conn.](https://time.com/author/ang-li/) and [Anne Most](https://time.com/author/anne-most/) Nov 5, 2018 5:09 PM UTC Campaigns rely on young volunteers to do the legwork needed just before the election. But the candidates they are working for are often much older. That’s not the case in Will Haskell’s campaign, which won a bid to unseat veteran Republican state Sen. Toni Boucher on Tuesday. “I decided to run because I thought it was possible, but I did not think it was probable.” Haskell said during a phone interview with TIME after the race, “I was just absolutely stunned by the victory.” The 22-year-old Georgetown graduate ran to unseat Republican state Sen. Toni Boucher, who has been in office for as long as Haskell has been alive. And Haskell did it by relying on an army of teen- and college-aged volunteers to knock on doors, hand out fliers and call potential supporters. Although he’s young, Haskell is no political newcomer. He has worked for the Democratic National Committee, campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and interned for Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Chris Murphy. He said he came back to his hometown after President Donald Trump’s election win and found he disagrees with many political views of Boucher, who represented his home district. He realized that no one was planning on challenging her and then decided he would run. About one in three volunteers who worked for Haskell’s campaign were either high school students or in their early 20s, the 22-year-old campaign manager Jack Lynch said. Haskell said the young volunteers were crucial to his election win, “They were putting in the hours over the summer, making calls upon calls when most people who were old enough to vote didn’t even realize there was going to be an election in 2018,” Haskell told TIME, “They put in the work early and I think it made all the difference.” Haskell’s campaign reflected a trend of young people getting involved in politics for this election season. According to Catalist, a voter data organization that works on the left, youth turnout rates among early voters were up 125% compared to the last midterms in 2014\. Statewide, the voter registration between ages of 18 to 24 has more than doubled for the 2018 election cycle compared to four years ago, according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State office. “A representative democracy should be representative, and it is not right now.” Haskell said during an interview recently, “Everyday, legislators in Hartford and every state capitol and in Washington as well, they make decisions that are going to impact the state, the community, the country for decades to come, and they often do so without the input of the next generation.” Kaila Finn, a 20-year-old writer for the campaign, recalled that she saw Haskell’s campaign ad on Facebook and was moved by his message about criminal justice reform and education and equality. She said she became more involved after finding out about bills like the Times Up Act, which aims to protect people from workplace harassments and assaults, died on the Connecticut House floor. Finn said she was also frustrated by many elected officials’ efforts to undercut bills and felt the current policies on issues like women’s rights are not progressive enough. She decided to “go full steam ahead” with the campaign for Haskell, whose policy proposals focus on areas like paid family leave, gender wage gap and workplace harassment. Charlotte Cohen, who was in charge of photography and campaign advertisement designs, said that the activism of Parkland students empowered her as a young person who is unable to vote. She was inspired by Haskell’s speech at the March for Our Lives rally in Connecticut and later decided to volunteer for a campaign for the first time. “I am really mad that I can’t vote,” the 17-year-old said, “I think the best way I could use my power is to help other people get out and vote.” Though many young volunteers on Haskell’s campaign could not vote in the 2018 midterms, he said, “There is no minimum age for getting involved and to be on the right side of history.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/"},"headline":"Inside a 22-Year-Old's Historic Victory for a Connecticut State Senate Seat","datePublished":"2018-11-05T17:09:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T12:38:16.412Z","description":"\"There is no minimum age for getting involved\"","url":"https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/","keywords":["2018 Elections","Connecticut"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7779449671a5f/69893e528fd2ee071a35d0e7/will2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ang Li / Westport, Conn."},{"@type":"Person","name":"Anne Most","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/anne-most/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7779449671a5f/69893e528fd2ee071a35d0e7/will2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"will2.jpg","caption":"22-year-old Connnecticut state Senate candidate Will Haskell speaks with a campaign volunteer during a phone bank in Westport, CT on Oct. 30, 2018.","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2018-elections/","name":"2018 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5444401/will-haskell-connecticut-young-voters/","name":"Inside a 22-Year-Old's Historic Victory for a Connecticut State Senate Seat"}}]}] ```