About Erick

As State Treasurer, Erick Russell is building the future Connecticut deserves — a future where opportunity belongs to everyone.

Born and raised in New Haven, Erick grew up in a community where people relied on one another to get by. Working in his family’s small store, he saw firsthand how hard families worked, how financial instability affected every part of a person’s life, and how invisible people can feel when their government fails to show up for them.

Those experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to make government reflect the values of strong communities by expanding opportunity, welcoming new voices into the process, and working for everyone, including those who are often overlooked.

Since being elected Treasurer, Erick has put his values into action and delivered results that will improve life in Connecticut for generations. He has reformed the state’s pension funds, achieving the strongest investment performance in years while reducing the crushing debt inherited by taxpayers. By stabilizing the state’s finances, Erick helped end an era of fiscal uncertainty so Connecticut can stop paying for past mistakes and begin investing in its people.

One of Erick’s most consequential achievements is launching CT Baby Bonds, a first-in-the-nation program that invests directly in the future of Connecticut’s children. In every community across the state, families can now imagine something better for the next generation. By investing on their behalf at birth, tens of thousands of children will grow up with access to opportunities their parents never had: the financial resources to buy a home, start a business, pursue college or vocational training, or build toward a dignified retirement. Children in every town and city are part of this program, and all of Connecticut will benefit as they reach their potential and build their futures in the communities where they already live.

As Connecticut’s representative in the financial markets, Erick has stood up to powerful corporations that mistreat workers, mislead investors, or violate the public trust. He has partnered with counterparts across the country to fight child labor, support union workers in the service and hospitality industries, oppose Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar compensation package, and end Connecticut’s investments in private prisons.

Under his leadership, the Treasurer’s Office has reunited residents with millions of dollars in unclaimed property, helped families save for college, expanded access to financial literacy, and leveraged private donations to protect access to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Erick has also cost-effectively financed the construction of roads, bridges, schools, clean energy projects, and other critical infrastructure in every corner of the state.

All of Erick’s work as Treasurer is guided by a simple vision for Connecticut’s future. Opportunity should be universal, and every resident should have the resources and knowledge they need to build the life they want for themselves.

In 2022, Erick became the first Black out LGBTQ person elected to statewide office in American history. He carries that responsibility with a commitment to hold the door open for those who follow, mentoring young people — especially those who don’t yet see government and public service as paths available to them.