With more than 54% of the vote, Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, has been elected to a third term representing the 33rd Senate District, according to unofficial results from the Connecticut Secretary of the State and Needleman’s campaign.

The district includes Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Lyme, Portland, Westbrook and part of Old Saybrook.

As of Wednesday evening, the Secretary of the State’s Election Center showed Needleman with 22,904 votes to 19,185 for Republican challenger Brandon Goff, though with results not reported yet for Deep River and Portland. But Theresa Govert, campaign manager for Needleman, said preliminary results the campaign collected from all towns in the district showed Needleman with 26,928 votes and Goff with 22,291.

“These last two years have been challenging, and I have done my best to aid our region at the Capitol amid them. I am thankful that voters gave me their endorsement for another term,” said Needleman, 71, in a press release Wednesday morning. “We still have plenty of work to do together at the Capitol, including increased focus on our state’s utility companies and bolstering our economy amid uncertain times nationally and globally.”

The senator expressed Tuesday night that he thought getting the Independent Party endorsement helped.

Goff, 26, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday night or Wednesday. Goff is an electronics technician for Northrop Grumman and Navy reservist who ran on a platform of reducing the tax burden and repealing parts of the police accountability law.

He serves on the East Hampton Town Council and received more votes than Needleman there, as well as in East Haddam and Haddam. Needleman received 68.4% of the vote ― higher than in any other town reported ― in Essex, where he has served as first selectman since 2011.

Needleman is also CEO of the effervescent product manufacturer Tower Laboratories, which has 300 employees in Connecticut and Michigan.

His margin of victory in state Senate races has increased with each run: He lost in his initial 2016 run, won in 2018 with less than 50.1% of the vote, and won in 2020 with 53.9% of the vote.

e.moser@theday.com