Connecticut's 4th congressional district election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Connecticut 4th Congressional District Election was held on November 7 to elect the representative from the 4th District of Connecticut
, which includes 17 towns in southwest Connecticut. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected representative will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The candidates were Christopher Shays, Republican, incumbent, member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987; Jim Himes, Democrat, an affordable housing executive, businessman, community leader. Ultimately Himes narrowly defeated Shays by 12,338 votes. It was the first time in 150 years that New England's House representation was entirely Democratic.
, attended Principia College
in Elsah, Illinois, and received an MBA and MPA from New York University
. He was a member of the Connecticut state house of representatives from 1975–1987, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Stewart McKinney. He had been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
since 1987. In his tenth term in the 109th Congress, Shays served as Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform. He was Chairperson of the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations
, and a member of the Financial Services and Homeland Security
Committees.
From 1984 to 1988, Himes attended Harvard University. He won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University where he continued his studies of Latin America.
Himes currently lives in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich with his wife, Mary, and their two daughters. He is fluent in Spanish.[4]
, Working Families Party
, DAPAC, Students for a New American Politics PAC, and Blue America PAC.
On April 19, 2007, Jim Himes officially announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives
in Connecticut's 4th congressional district
.
He received endorsements from the Fairfield Mirror
, Working Families Party
, DAPAC, Students for a New American Politics PAC, and Blue America PAC. As of the end of 2007, his campaign reportedly had the most cash on hand of any House challenger running against an incumbent nationwide. On May 4, 2008 Himes was endorsed by Diane Farrell
, the 2004 and 2006 Democratic challenger to Christopher Shays
.
On March 12, 2008, Himes was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's
"Red-to-Blue" program of targeted House challengers.
On the summer of 2008 the Himes campaign had an unexpected challenger. Lisa "Lee" Whitnum
, an unknown Democrat from Greenwich, Connecticut
, billed herself as the "average American woman." On June 19, Whitnum gained enough signatures to force a primary with Himes. It was the first primary in the Connecticut's 4th congressional district
since 1987. Political pundits and observers had written Lee Whitnum off because she did not have any organization or cash like Jim Himes. During the primary campaign, Whitnum called Jim Himes a "cardboard" candidate who was well-privileged. Himes also had the Democratic Party
behind him and key endorsements early from people like Stamford, Connecticut
mayor Dan Malloy
, who expressed anger to Whitnum's views and comments on immigration and other issues. Himes said on August 11 a day before the primary “We’re taking this very seriously even though Whitnum has taken positions which can charitably be described as out of the mainstream.” The primary picked up some local media attention but on Election Day on August 12, 2008 a very low turnout of 4th district democrats showed up at the polls. Himes easily defeated Whitnum with about 90% of the vote. After the easy primary for the Himes camp, Jim Himes moved swiftly to build his general election campaign and focused on Christopher Shays
.
The General Election between Jim Himes and Christopher Shays was followed by the national news media and it was a called a tossup because of the unpopularity of George W. Bush
in the urban New England district. Shays had very high name recognition and he had a longtime reputation as a moderate nationwide and in Fairfield County
which put him ahead early in the race while Himes attempted to garner attention. Despite this polls in late August showed it a dead heat or Shays ahead.
Himes was not well known at the beginning of the race, being a new face, unlike Shays who people were accustomed and knew well. As the summer progressed Shays started to pull away from Himes in the polls, however as Himes campaign kicked off this trend reversed. Himes painted Shays as George Bush and sent out mailers that placed them together in pictures.
Unlike the 2006 campaign where war was the primary issue, this time it was the economy. It started immediately gained traction and Jim Himes made a campaign catch phrase out of it, quoting Shays saying "Our economy is fundamentally strong no one can disagree with that." Himes also linked himself with Barack Obama who was popular in the district, and his coattails in the district were very strong; he ended up winning it 60-40.http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pRel6Mvd0g04XGs9p7OMpcQ He sent mailers with them together in a picture and Obama even cut a radio ad for Himes. In the final weeks his campaign even released joint lawn sign
s with an Barack Obama
logo and a Himes logo in a final push for Obama voters. It was predicted to be a very close election, with polling all tied with the margin of error.
On November 4, 2008, Himes defeated Shays by about 12500 votes. Although Himes only won three towns in the district, he swamped Shays in Bridgeport, winning a staggering 83 percent of the vote there. He was also helped by Barack Obama
's massive win in that district.
Himes took office in the 111th United States Congress
on January 6, 2009. He is the first Democrat to represent the district since 1969. With his win, New England's delegation in the House will be entirely Democratic for the first time in almost 150 years.
|-
| University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis
| September 17, 2008
| 45%
| 45%
| N/A
|-
|}
Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and consists of Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, and Stamford....
, which includes 17 towns in southwest Connecticut. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected representative will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The candidates were Christopher Shays, Republican, incumbent, member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987; Jim Himes, Democrat, an affordable housing executive, businessman, community leader. Ultimately Himes narrowly defeated Shays by 12,338 votes. It was the first time in 150 years that New England's House representation was entirely Democratic.
Shays
Shays grew up in Darien, ConnecticutDarien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
, attended Principia College
Principia College
Principia College is a four-year private co-educational liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. The campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton, located about thirty miles north of St. Louis. In 1934, Principia College graduated its first class as a full...
in Elsah, Illinois, and received an MBA and MPA from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He was a member of the Connecticut state house of representatives from 1975–1987, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Stewart McKinney. He had been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
since 1987. In his tenth term in the 109th Congress, Shays served as Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform. He was Chairperson of the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations
United States House Committee on Government Reform
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a United States House of Representatives committee that has existed in varying forms since 1816....
, and a member of the Financial Services and Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
Committees.
Himes
Himes was born in Lima, Peru in 1966, and spent the first decade of his life in Latin America (Peru and Colombia). At the age of 10, he, his mother, and his two sisters returned to the United States, where Himes attended and graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, New Jersey.From 1984 to 1988, Himes attended Harvard University. He won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University where he continued his studies of Latin America.
Himes currently lives in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich with his wife, Mary, and their two daughters. He is fluent in Spanish.[4]
Himes
He received endorsements from the Fairfield MirrorFairfield Mirror
The Fairfield Mirror is the student newspaper of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is financially and editorially independent of the University, and publishes weekly on Wednesday during the academic year with additional issues during commencement and orientation...
, Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
, DAPAC, Students for a New American Politics PAC, and Blue America PAC.
2008 U.S. Representative campaign
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and consists of Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, and Stamford....
.
He received endorsements from the Fairfield Mirror
Fairfield Mirror
The Fairfield Mirror is the student newspaper of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is financially and editorially independent of the University, and publishes weekly on Wednesday during the academic year with additional issues during commencement and orientation...
, Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
, DAPAC, Students for a New American Politics PAC, and Blue America PAC. As of the end of 2007, his campaign reportedly had the most cash on hand of any House challenger running against an incumbent nationwide. On May 4, 2008 Himes was endorsed by Diane Farrell
Diane Farrell
Diane Farrell is an American politician who was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Connecticut's 4th congressional district in 2004 and 2006....
, the 2004 and 2006 Democratic challenger to Christopher Shays
Christopher Shays
Christopher H. Shays is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and represented the 4th District of Connecticut....
.
On March 12, 2008, Himes was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
"Red-to-Blue" program of targeted House challengers.
On the summer of 2008 the Himes campaign had an unexpected challenger. Lisa "Lee" Whitnum
Lee Whitnum
Lee Whitnum is an American writer and politician. She is an outspoken critic of the Israeli lobby and gained notoriety on that issue in the 2010 Connecticut U.S. Senate race as a Democrat. She also takes a hard stand against illegal and legal "white collar" immigration as a way to curtail...
, an unknown Democrat from Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, billed herself as the "average American woman." On June 19, Whitnum gained enough signatures to force a primary with Himes. It was the first primary in the Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district
Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and consists of Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, and Stamford....
since 1987. Political pundits and observers had written Lee Whitnum off because she did not have any organization or cash like Jim Himes. During the primary campaign, Whitnum called Jim Himes a "cardboard" candidate who was well-privileged. Himes also had the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
behind him and key endorsements early from people like Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
mayor Dan Malloy
Dan Malloy
Dannel Patrick "Dan" Malloy is the 88th and current Governor of Connecticut. He was the Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut from December 1995 until December 2009. Malloy had been endorsed by the Connecticut Democratic Party on May 22, 2010 over 2006 Democratic U.S...
, who expressed anger to Whitnum's views and comments on immigration and other issues. Himes said on August 11 a day before the primary “We’re taking this very seriously even though Whitnum has taken positions which can charitably be described as out of the mainstream.” The primary picked up some local media attention but on Election Day on August 12, 2008 a very low turnout of 4th district democrats showed up at the polls. Himes easily defeated Whitnum with about 90% of the vote. After the easy primary for the Himes camp, Jim Himes moved swiftly to build his general election campaign and focused on Christopher Shays
Christopher Shays
Christopher H. Shays is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and represented the 4th District of Connecticut....
.
The General Election between Jim Himes and Christopher Shays was followed by the national news media and it was a called a tossup because of the unpopularity of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in the urban New England district. Shays had very high name recognition and he had a longtime reputation as a moderate nationwide and in Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
which put him ahead early in the race while Himes attempted to garner attention. Despite this polls in late August showed it a dead heat or Shays ahead.
Himes was not well known at the beginning of the race, being a new face, unlike Shays who people were accustomed and knew well. As the summer progressed Shays started to pull away from Himes in the polls, however as Himes campaign kicked off this trend reversed. Himes painted Shays as George Bush and sent out mailers that placed them together in pictures.
Unlike the 2006 campaign where war was the primary issue, this time it was the economy. It started immediately gained traction and Jim Himes made a campaign catch phrase out of it, quoting Shays saying "Our economy is fundamentally strong no one can disagree with that." Himes also linked himself with Barack Obama who was popular in the district, and his coattails in the district were very strong; he ended up winning it 60-40.http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pRel6Mvd0g04XGs9p7OMpcQ He sent mailers with them together in a picture and Obama even cut a radio ad for Himes. In the final weeks his campaign even released joint lawn sign
Lawn sign
Lawn signs are used for local advertising. They can be used by business such as real estate and are popular in election campaigns in some countries. They are small signs that can be placed on the property of a business or on the lawns of a candidate's supporters...
s with an Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
logo and a Himes logo in a final push for Obama voters. It was predicted to be a very close election, with polling all tied with the margin of error.
On November 4, 2008, Himes defeated Shays by about 12500 votes. Although Himes only won three towns in the district, he swamped Shays in Bridgeport, winning a staggering 83 percent of the vote there. He was also helped by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's massive win in that district.
Himes took office in the 111th United States Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
on January 6, 2009. He is the first Democrat to represent the district since 1969. With his win, New England's delegation in the House will be entirely Democratic for the first time in almost 150 years.
polls
| Source | Date | Himes (D) | Shays (R) | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reuters/Zogby Poll | October 13, 2008 | 48% | 45% | N/A | 4% |
| Reuters/Zogby Poll | October 9, 2008 | 44% | 44% | N/A | 11% |
| University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis | September 25, 2008 | 31% | 52% | N/A | |
|-
| University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis
| September 17, 2008
| 45%
| 45%
| N/A
|-
|}