About John

Representative Harkins was first elected to the House of Representatives in November of 1996 as a Representative from the 120th District, encompassing central Stratford. He is now serving his 7th consecutive term in the General Assembly and holds a leadership position.

Representative Harkins is the Deputy House Republican Leader at Large, one of the top leadership positions within the House Republicans Caucus.

He is the House Ranking Member (Republican Leader) on the Select Committee on Veterans Affairs. He also serves on the Transportation, Banks, and Legislative Management Committees.

Representative Harkins also is active in national organizations that work to enhance the ability of the General Assembly to better serve the people of our state. He was appointed in 1998 as the Connecticut Chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the nation’s largest bipartisan organization comprised of individual slate legislators. In 2004, he received the legislator of the year award from ALEC and in 2006 was selected to serve on ALEC’s national board of directors.

Active in municipal, and community affairs in Stratford, Representative Harkins was elected to the Town Council in November 1, 1995 from the Ninth District and served until his election to the General Assembly. As Councilman, he was Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee. He also served as Chairman of the Roosevelt Forest Commission and is a member of the Stratford Republican Town Committee. Representative Harkins is a member and Past President of the Stratford Rotary Club.

A graduate of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, he holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance. He is an SRA Member off the Appraisal Institute and, co-owner of Harkins Appraisal Service, Inc.

Born September 22, 1963, in Perth Amboy New Jersey, Representative Harkins and his wife, Jody, have two daughters.