klarides was elected to the house of representatives as a republican in 1998 from the 114th district, serving the towns of derby, orange and woodbridge. she has been re-elected every term since. she served as the deputy minority leader from 2007 to 2014, when she was selected by the membership of her caucus to become the first female leader for the house republicans effective with the 2015 session. as the house minority leader, she has become a leading advocate for fiscal restraint, regulatory reform, job creation and tax relief. she has been an outspoken critic of governor malloy and the democratic tax policies that resulted in the two largest tax increases in state history.