Norm Needleman, Democratic candidate for the 33rd District of the state Senate and first selectman of Essex, announced Friday that he has requested an investigation of his opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. Art Linares, regarding his use of state resources to solicit donations for his re-election campaign.

Formal requests for an investigation have been filed with the Chief State’s Attorney, the Office of State Ethics and the Office of the Auditors of Public Accounts, Needleman said in a news release Friday.

“By using his position of public trust for personal benefit, Sen. Linares is in violation of ethics rules and Connecticut state law,” Needleman said. At issue is Linares’ use of a New Jersey political consultant working for his campaign to request private information on at least 3,459 constituents who contacted his state Senate office. The constituents are receiving fundraising solicitations and other campaign-related materials, Needleman said.

“With data breaches and hacking in the news almost every day,” Needleman said, “it’s beyond comprehension that a state senator would knowingly hand over private data of his own constituents without their knowledge or consent.”

In an emailed response, Linares called the charges “a desperate attempt to distract people from Hartford’s disheartening news on companies leaving Connecticut, mileage tax proposals and the ongoing federal investigation into the Democratic Party.”

Linares said he keeps his constituents informed through emails, and that they are “free to unsubscribe at any time.”

The 33rd District is comprised of 12 towns: Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland and Westbrook.

“We have a great relationship with the residents of our district,” Linares said, “and they appreciate how the emails keep them informed. My campaign focuses on creating jobs, and making our state affordable to people trying to raises families and buy homes. These initiatives can only be achieved by cultivating an environment for businesses to thrive so that they create the jobs our people need.”

Linares continued: “Given the amount of residents dissatisfied with my opponent’s good friend, Gov. Malloy, my opponent’s desire to shift focus from the real issues that concern and touch residents of our district is unsurprising.”

In his statement, Needleman referred to a news conference Linares held at Clinton Town Hall to announce a petition drive to oppose education funding cuts.

“The taxpayer-funded press conference and petition drive netted over 900 signatures that were ultimately sent to Sue Ann Penna, the New Jersey political consultant working for Linares,” Needleman said. He added that Penna works with many Republican candidates, most recently serving as a county chairwoman for the Ted Cruz for President campaign.

Needleman said his opponent has “breached the public’s trust for his own political benefit,” and violated ethics rules and state law by misusing public funds to acquire data.

“These constituents, and the public at large, have a right to know what their senator has been doing with their private information since he took office,” Needleman said.

j.benson@theday.com