Suzio is a Meriden Board of Education member who won the Senate seat in his second try in just three months. He benefitted from his previous run, as well as the backing of a coalition of conservative groups organized by Tom Scott, a former senator."I owe this victory to you," Suzio told Scott as he took the oath of office. "It's our victory together." Scott was the organizer of Connecticut's biggest protest at the State Capitol, a demonstration against the income tax in 1991. Suzio was in the crowd of more than 40,000. Scott helped bring in some Tea Party activists into the campaign, reaching out to a movement whose members sometimes shy away from campaigns."Their philosophy and values I share," Suzio said.