Waterford ― Nick Gauthier, Representative Town Meeting Member in District 1, announced Tuesday he will run for state representative for the 38th District in the November election.

This is the Democrat’s second time running for the position after losing in 2022 to five-term incumbent state Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford. McCarty won that race by a vote of 5,628 to 5,398. The 38th District covers Waterford, along with parts of the Oakdale and Uncasville sections of Montville.

Gauthier said that running again for him is about public service.

“I’ve tried to step away from campaigning and I always kind of find my way back to it because, look, the reason I got involved in the first place is because I care so much about the issues,” he said.

Gauthier said he remains frustrated about the lack of progress on issues such as universal health care, paid time off, paid family medical leave and affordable housing.

“I’ve tried to push those issues forward, get them passed and implemented as a volunteer, as an activist, as an organizer, and, you always run up against the brick wall of, the current people in office won’t do it,” he said.

“So, you can keep organizing, marching and rallying and pressuring those people currently in office to do the right thing ― and I think we do need to do that. Simultaneously, you can also just replace those people with different elected representatives who do want to do the right thing,” he added.

Gauthier is currently serving his third term on the RTM and has worked in the town’s Senior Services Department since 2022.

A Waterford native, Gauthier holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Haven.

d.drainville@theday.com