Key Points
- Wilton’s traditional candidate debate will not take place in the town’s only contested legislative race.
- The League says Nestor accepted promptly, while Sarelli did not respond to five invitations and reported outreach through the Westport League.
- Sarelli blamed a spam filter, but did not clarify the Westport League contact or her reference to “choosing not to attend.”
Why It Matters: With neither State Senate candidate living in Wilton, the canceled debate eliminates the principal town-specific forum for voters to meet the candidates side by side and compare their responses to the same local questions.
Wilton voters will not have an opportunity to see the two candidates for the 26th District State Senate seat debate in town this election season, the Wilton League of Women Voters announced Monday, Sept. 14.
The League said it canceled its planned debate after Democratic candidate Sam Nestor accepted its invitation but Republican candidate Alma Sarelli did not respond to repeated efforts to secure her participation.
Sarelli told GOOD Morning Wilton Monday that the League’s invitations were diverted to her email spam folder and that she did not intentionally disregard them.
“The Democratic candidate accepted our invitation. However, despite multiple attempts, the League never received a response from the Republican candidate,” the League said in a statement provided by WLWV Voter Services Co-Chairs Peggy Reeves and Louise Shames to GMW. “Therefore, it is not possible to host a debate this year since only one candidate has agreed to participate.”
The organization added that the cancellation “regrettably deprives Wilton voters of the opportunity to pose questions to the legislative candidates in the only competitive race in Wilton this year.”
The State Senate contest is the only race for a Wilton-specific legislative seat featuring both Democratic and Republican candidates. State Rep. Savet Constantine, the Democrat representing Wilton’s 42nd House District, is running for reelection unopposed. Wilton voters will also cast ballots in contested races for U.S. representative, governor and statewide offices.
Neither State Senate candidate lives in Wilton. Nestor is Weston’s first selectwoman and Sarelli, a Westport resident, serves on that town’s Representative Town Meeting. The winner will succeed State Sen. Ceci Maher, a Wilton resident who is not seeking reelection after serving two terms.
League Describes Repeated Outreach
The League said it first emailed both candidates June 2 while working with Wilton Library to establish a September debate date. Nestor responded within 24 hours. Sarelli did not respond, according to the League.
The organization said it sent Sarelli five invitations over the course of the summer, including two follow-up emails June 5 explaining that the Library needed to reserve program space.
The final invitation requested a response by Aug. 7, when the Library needed both candidates’ biographical information and promotional material. The League said it continued seeking an answer for another two weeks after that date.
According to Wilton League representatives, the Westport League of Women Voters’ board offered to reach out to Sarelli directly because she is a member of that organization, and subsequently told the Wilton LWV that Sarelli indicated she would call Wilton directly with her response.
“We never received a call from her,” Shames and Reeves told GMW.
The debate was canceled Aug. 21.
Sarelli Attributes Nonresponse to Spam Filter
Sarelli told GMW Monday that she did not see the League’s invitations because they were filtered out of her email inbox.
“The League’s emails were filtered into my spam folder by my email provider,” she said. “The only message from them that reached my actual inbox was the one announcing the debate’s cancellation. This was a technical email issue, not a decision to disregard their invitations.”
Sarelli’s initial response did not address the League’s account that the Westport League reached her directly and that she indicated she would call the Wilton organization. GMW asked Sarelli to clarify whether that communication occurred and, if so, why she did not call the Wilton League. She did not respond to that follow-up question before publication.
In response to a separate question about whether the debate’s absence could leave Wilton voters with the impression that their interests were not important to her campaign, Sarelli characterized it as a choice not to participate.
“Choosing not to attend one scheduled debate does not reflect the priority I place on Wilton voters,” she said.
Because that statement about “choosing not to attend” appeared to conflict with Sarelli’s explanation that she did not know about the invitations because of a technical email issue, GMW asked her to clarify whether she had chosen not to participate or had been unaware of the invitations. She did not respond before publication.
Sarelli pointed instead to other forms of voter outreach.
“My campaign has been built around direct engagement, door knocking, in-person conversations and community meetings, specifically so I can hear from residents myself rather than filter their concerns through a single event,” she said.
Sarelli also disputed the premise that the absence of a debate meant Wilton voters were being overlooked.
“A single debate is not the only measure of whether a candidate is accessible to a community, and I don’t accept the premise that its absence means Wilton voters are being overlooked,” she said. “I’ve made it a priority this campaign to go directly to residents’ doors and hear their concerns firsthand, and I intend to keep doing that throughout the race.”
Sarelli said her experience growing up in communist Albania influenced how she views voters’ ability to be heard and hold public officials accountable.
“That’s part of why I take voters’ right to be heard as seriously as I do, and why my focus has been direct outreach rather than a single forum,” she said.
Wilton Loses Town-Specific Candidate Forum
Each year, the local League and Wilton Library cohost candidate debates that allow residents to pose Wilton-specific questions directly to candidates through League moderators.
GMW is the third cohost of the annual event, livestreaming the debates and sharing recorded clips with readers through its editorial coverage, including a special election issue.
Organizing the event requires advance preparation by all three organizations. Wilton Library must reserve space and promote the program. The League secures an out-of-town League moderator and recruits timekeepers and question screeners representing both political parties. GMW arranges and operates the livestream, records the event and incorporates video excerpts into its election coverage.
According to Wilton League officials, without the debate, Wilton voters will not have an opportunity to see the candidates “on our ballot responding on their feet to questions concerning our town.”
League of Women Voters guidance generally recommends against holding a state or local candidate debate when only one candidate agrees to participate, sometimes referred to as an “empty chair” debate. Online League materials state that the guidance is intended to prevent the event from becoming an appearance resembling a campaign event for the sole participating candidate.
Wilton Republican Chair: “Disappointed”
Wilton Republican Town Committee Chair Andrew Warren was copied on the League’s initial June 2 invitation to the candidates, according to the League.
Warren told GMW Monday that he was disappointed Wilton would not have a debate but said he had not determined what happened with the invitation and subsequent communications.
“Candidate debates are an important opportunity for voters to hear directly from the candidates, particularly in a competitive local race,” Warren said.
“I have spoken with Alma and am still trying to understand the circumstances surrounding the invitation and the subsequent communications, so I don’t want to speculate about exactly what occurred,” he continued.
Warren said voters would have other ways to learn about the candidates before the election.
“What matters most is that Wilton voters will not have this particular opportunity to hear the candidates side by side,” he said. “There will, however, be other opportunities between now and November for voters to hear from the candidates, understand their positions on the issues, and make an informed decision in this important race.”
Democrats Criticize Debate’s Absence
Wilton Democratic Town Committee Vice Chair Katie McSporran said the DTC believes there should be candidate debates.
“We believe strongly that all candidates should participate in public debates,” McSporran said. “Seeing candidates together on stage answering the same questions is an essential aspect of transparency and respect for voters.”
McSporran said Nestor had welcomed opportunities to debate and criticized Sarelli for not responding to the Wilton League.
“We hope that this current failure of candor speaks only about this Republican candidate, and that Wilton voters will be able to count on debates in the future by all candidates,” McSporran said.
Nestor said she’s disappointed there will be no Wilton debate.
“Debates and transparency are critical to our democracy. I am disappointed that — because my opponent won’t participate — people won’t get to ask questions or hear from either of us,” Nestor texted to GMW.
“I am not sure how one can claim that they will be an effective senator, where you need to debate with your colleagues, when you refuse a simple campaign debate from the League of Women Voters with one person,” Nestor added.
She said voters should reach out to her directly. “I will happily talk to anyone, even if we disagree — and I will keep knocking doors and listening to voters, and answering questions. That’s what our community and democracy deserves.”
Candidates Commit to GMW Interviews
As part of its Election 2026 coverage, GMW plans to conduct separate recorded video interviews with both State Senate candidates using the same core questions.
Sarelli confirmed Monday that she will participate in an interview.
“Yes, I will sit for a video interview with GMW,” she said.
Nestor has also confirmed she will participate in a GMW video interview.
Those interviews will appear as part of GMW‘s Election 2026 Special Issue, to be published on Monday, Oct. 19.
With the League debate canceled, the interviews may be Wilton voters’ only opportunity to hear both candidates answer the same set of Wilton-focused questions.
The 26th Senate District includes Wilton, Weston, Westport, Ridgefield, Redding and portions of Darien, New Canaan and Stamford.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
