Republican State Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, has announced she is is seeking a fifth term representing the 37th Assembly District.

The district covers East Lyme and portions of Montville and Salem. Democrat Nick Menapace of East Lyme in January announced he is seeking the Democratic nomination.

Cheeseman last year defeated Menapace by 504 votes, according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State.

She will pursue the Republican endorsement in mid-May from delegates at the 37th District convention.

Cheeseman is a ranking member of the legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. In a news release announcing her candidacy, she was described as instrumental in the passage of a bipartisan income tax cut for middle and working-class families as well as an expansion of tax relief for retirees, which earned her the 2023 AARP Legislative Achievement Award.

Among other priorities was the creation of a $2,000 state child tax deduction, according to the release. She also played a leading role in adjusting the unemployment compensation system to reduce costs for businesses.

Cheeseman identified her work on local issues such as improving public safety at Gardner Lake State Park and studying the impact of large-scale data centers. She is pursuing state bond funds for the replacement of the Montville animal shelter and to supplement $5 million obtained last year for the construction of Safe Futures' Family Justice Center.

A New London native, Cheeseman has lived in East Lyme for more than two decades. She currently works as a consultant to the Niantic Children's Museum, where she served as executive director for the past nine years.

e.regan@theday.com