Politics is heating up in the 54th House District, where two University of Connecticut students are among the four candidates running.
One of those students, Jason Ortiz, is a veteran campus activist, having organized a protest against Joe Lieberman for his initial waffling on the health care bill. He also participated in rallies criticizing former UConn president Michael Hogan for his stewardship of the university.
Ortiz, who grew up in Norwich and now lives in Mansfield, has been active in numerous progressive causes, including the push to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. He is also the leader of the UConn chapter of the ACLU. Ortiz says he intends to work to qualify for public financing.
Fellow UConn student Brien Buckman is also in the race. Buckman, who grew up in Coventry and South Windsor, is a political science department's honors program and has pledged to spend no more than $1,000 on his campaign.
Buckman has formed his own political party -- Buckman for Connecticut.
The race also includes Democrat Gregory Haddad, deputy mayor of Mansfield, and a UConn grad, and Republican Christopher Paulhus, a member of the Mansfield town council.
The 54th is comprised of Mansfield and Chaplin and is currently represented by House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, who is running for Secretary of the State.