As the numbers rolled in Tuesday night, it became clear that incumbent State Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, defeated Independent Lauren Gauthier by a margin of 3,712- 892 as she was reelected to represent the 40th district for a fourth term.

“It feels great to be re-elected.” Conley said late Tuesday. “There’s a lot of work to be done in Groton, New London and southeastern Connecticut and I’m happy to be allowed to do it for two more years.”

Gauthier said she acted as a placeholder to “help the Independents maintain their party line.” She and Conley previously squared off in the 2020 election, when Conley won the election with 58.9% of the vote.

Since new district lines were drawn in 2020, the 40th District now consists of the Town of Groton north of Interstate 95, the northern part of the City of Groton and the southern portion of New London.

With New London replacing Ledyard in her district, Conley said one of her goals is to secure funding for the New London community center to get it “further along in the construction phase.”

Conley, 40, lives in Groton with her husband, Tim Beebe, and is an attorney at Embry Neusner Arscott & Shafner, LLC.

Prior to her time in the General Assembly, Conley was a three-term member of the Representative Town Meeting of Groton and was elected moderator.

k.arnold@theday.com