With a father and grandfather who served the citizens of the fourth congressional district as physicians for over 50 years, and a family deeply involved in numerous local charities, Rob Russo learned early importance of serving his community.

After graduating from Georgetown University, Rob went to work for his home Congressman, Christopher Shays. Excelling in each position he was given, Rob was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Shays.

Upon receiving his law degree from Fordham, Rob returned to public service as Governor Jodi Rell’s Fairfield County District Director.  In this position, Rob represented Governor Rell throughout the district, providing him with an extensive knowledge of the  local governments, non-profit organizations, community associations, local businesses, and needs of all of the voters in the fourth congressional district.

For the last 4 years, Rob has run his own real estate and land use law practice in Fairfield.  He also specializes in trusts and estates, family law, small business law, aviation law, and civil litigation.

Wanting to serve his community once again, Rob ran for State Senate in the heavily Democratic district that covers Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe.  Though unsuccessful at first, Rob continued to build his reputation and his campaign skills, winning  a special election in 2008 to become the crucial 13th Republican vote, taking away a Democratic super-majority in the legislature.

As a State Senator, Rob built a reputation for excellent constituent services, and fought to bring fiscal responsibility to Hartford.  Rob proposed a balanced budget to reduce the size and cost of state government, warning that the state was headed for financial disaster in the near future. 

A strong advocate for education, Rob took a unique approach to the challenges of representing an unusually diverse urban/suburban district.  Rather than simply demanding more money for Bridgeport’s failing schools, he spearheaded a state and local public-private partnership to identify how taxpayers’ investment in Bridgeport Public Schools was being spent.  Rob was able to secure state funding for a forensic audit of the school system to make sure every dollar was going toward education, not siphoned off or wasted.

Rob serves as an adjunct professor of American Government at Sacred Heart  University. He has served on the Boards of the Red Cross of Mid-Fairfield County and Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo.  He is a volunteer for the Bridgeport School Volunteer Association.

Robert Russo, 34, lives in Bridgeport with his wife Carolyn who recently published her first children’s book “The Extra-ordinary Princess”