Connecticut's congressional districts
Encyclopedia
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...
. After the 2008 elections
United States House elections, 2008
Infobox Election| election_name = United States House of Representatives elections, 2008| country = United States| type = legislative| ongoing = no...
, all five of Connecticut's representatives are Democrats
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...
. 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....
, previously the only Republican in the state's congressional delegation as well as the only Republican member of the House from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, lost his re-election bid in 2008.
The districts
After the reapportionment following the 2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, Connecticut lost one representative, reducing the state's delegation from six to five. The redistricting process was shared between the Republican governor at the time, John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
, and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
. Before the census, the state's House delegation was split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and the solution finally agreed upon by the redistricting committee would ensure an even matchup between incumbents, the 6th District's
Connecticut's 6th congressional district
Connecticut's 6th congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created for a short time beginning in 1837 from the State's At-Large District. It was eliminated after the 1840 Census. It was reestablished in 1965 after the At-Large District was eliminated due to the Voting Rights Act of...
Nancy L. Johnson, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and the 5th District's
Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the northwestern part of the state, the district runs from...
James H. Maloney
James H. Maloney
James H. "Jim" Maloney is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut.Maloney was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. He was a Volunteers in Service to America volunteer from 1969 until 1970. He graduated from Harvard University in 1972 and received a law degree...
, a Democrat. In the 2002 elections
United States House elections, 2002
The Elections for the United States House of Representatives on 5 November 2002 was in the middle of President George W. Bush's first term. Although it was a midterm election, the Republican Party gained a net eight seats, solidifying their majority...
, Johnson defeated Maloney by a surprisingly large margin in the new 5th District.
The Connecticut district map for the 108th Congress
108th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eighth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's...
does not look drastically different from the layouts used during most of the past century.
First District
The 1st DistrictConnecticut's 1st congressional district
Connecticut's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the north-central part of the state, the district is anchored by the state capital of Hartford....
still comprises the greater part of the Hartford metropolitan area. Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, the capital of Connecticut, is still the population center and focal point of the district, which also includes wealthy West Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, the center of Greater Hartford's Jewish and Asian-American communities, and working-class East Hartford
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, home of Pratt and Whitney. After the reapportionment, however, the district was shifted westward and now includes sections of northern Litchfield County
Litchfield County, Connecticut
Litchfield County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut but is geographically the state's largest county. As of 2010 the population was 189,927...
once represented by the old 6th District, as well as stretching southward to take in a portion of Middletown
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
. Long severed from the wealthier and considerably more conservative Hartford suburbs in the Farmington Valley
Farmington Valley
The Farmington Valley is located west of Hartford, Connecticut in Hartford and Litchfield Counties. It is defined by the Farmington River, which runs through it....
, the 1st District is reliably and strongly Democratic. Hartford casts large pluralities for the Democratic candidate in all races, and the former mill towns which surround the capital, such as East Hartford and Middletown, have largely retained their ethnic Democratic heritage. Republican enclaves in this district are few. Indeed, the only conceivable strategy for a GOP pickup here would involve not only depressing turnout in the Democratic stronghold of Hartford and racking up big margins in the wealthier suburbs of Glastonbury
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1693. The population was 31,876 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles southeast of Hartford. The town...
and North Granby
North Granby, Connecticut
North Granby is a census-designated place in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,720 at the 2000 census.The center of North Granby is today marked principally by the Cossitt Branch Library and the Allen Cider Mill....
, but most importantly convincing the Italian- and Irish-American voters to abandon their Democratic home in large numbers. While Republicans have had success with these ethnic demographics in other metropolitan areas in the Northeast, there has been no indication that such a phenomenon will occur in Hartford anytime soon. Even the more upscale areas of this district, like West Hartford and the towns south of Hartford along the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, have a long Democratic history.
Congressman John B. Larson, the former President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
from East Hartford, has represented the 1st District since 1999. Larson currently serves in the House Democratic leadership as Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, a position he has held since 2006. Larson was elected to Congress in 1998, succeeding Barbara B. Kennelly
Barbara B. Kennelly
Barbara Bailey Kennelly was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.-Family and Education:...
who vacated her seat in an unsuccessful challenge against Governor John Rowland. Larson's victory resurrected a political career temporarily suspended by a crushing defeat in the 1994 Democratic primary for Governor, in which he lost to comptroller Bill Curry
Bill Curry (politician)
William E. Curry, Jr. has been a two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton.-Education and early political life:...
despite receiving the endorsement of the state party convention. In this heavily Democratic district, Larson can continue to serve for as long as he wishes, although ambition for higher office may produce a vacancy here if a Senate seat or the Governorship were to open up in the next six years. However, Larson's influential position in leadership as well as a deep bench of ambitious Connecticut Democrats may convince him to remain in the House for a long time to come. Were Larson to retire, a long roster of Democrats would undoubtedly line up to succeed him, including former lieutenant governor Kevin B. Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (politician)
Kevin B. Sullivan, a Democrat, was Connecticut's 86th Lieutenant Governor. He was elected to the State Senate in 1986 and served as Senate President Pro Tempore from 1997 - 2004.-Early life:...
, 2006 lieutenant governor candidate and mayor of West Hartford Scott Slifka
Scott Slifka
Scott Slifka is an American politician and the current mayor of West Hartford, Connecticut. Running as a Democrat, he was elected to the town council in 2001 and 2003, and was elected mayor in 2004 and subsequently reelected in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011...
, Hartford mayor Eddie Perez
Eddie Perez
Eddie Perez may refer to:* Eddie Perez , former Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut* Eddie Pérez , former Major League Baseball catcher*Eduardo Perez, former Major League Baseball first baseman...
, and newly-elected state Senator Paul Doyle
Paul Doyle
Paul R. Doyle is an American politician. Doyle, a Democrat, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 2007.A resident of Wethersfield, Doyle represents the southern suburbs of Hartford in the Connecticut Senate, including the towns of Cromwell, Middletown, Newington, Rocky Hill, and...
, a more conservative Democrat. Republicans would certainly want to make an open-seat race here competitive, but realistic options would be limited to U.S. Attorney and one-time challenger to Larson, Kevin J. O'Connor.
Second District
The 2nd DistrictConnecticut's 2nd congressional district
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district includes the towns of New London, Norwich, Storrs, Groton, and Southwood Acres....
takes in nearly half of the state, geographically, and has long been the voice in Washington for largely rural Eastern Connecticut. The redistricting process maintained the approximate historical area of the district, despite state Democrats' hope to draw the Republican representative at the time, Rob Simmons
Rob Simmons
Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing Connecticut's Second Congressional District as a Republican.Simmons ran as a candidate for the...
, out of a seat by partitioning the area between the heavily Democratic districts centered on Hartford and New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Since the 108th Congress, the 2nd District seeps into the eastern parts of Hartford county, reaching into the suburbs north of Hartford such as Suffield
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the...
, as well as some towns to the capital's east, like Glastonbury which it shares with the 1st. The redistricting committee intended to more or less retain the partisan balance of the district, which heavily favored Democrats to begin with, and swapped Middletown for Enfield
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 45,212 at the 2000 census. It sits on the border with Longmeadow, Massachusetts and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts to the north, Somers to the east, East Windsor and Ellington to the south, and the...
, similarly sized towns with similarly Democratic heritages. The demographics of the 2nd District vary widely, ranging from the stridently liberal and culturally diverse population centers of New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, Norwich
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, and Windham
Windham, Connecticut
Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the city of Willimantic and the villages of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. The city of Willimantic was consolidated with the town in 1983...
, to the blue-collar towns of Enfield and Vernon
Vernon, Connecticut
Vernon is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 29,179 at the 2010 census.Vernon was incorporated in October, 1808, from Bolton. Vernon contains the former city of Rockville, incorporated in January, 1889. The town of Vernon and city of Rockville consolidated as a...
, to the magnificently wealthy (and traditionally Republican) villages along the coast like Old Saybrook
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,367 at the 2000 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.-History:...
and Mystic
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2000 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognized municipality in the state of Connecticut...
where many millionaires from both Connecticut and New York maintain vacation homes. Statistically, Democrats dominate the 2nd district, although Republicans have recently fared well here in both congressional and statewide elections. New London, Norwich, and the students from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in Storrs
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
tirelessly vote for Democrats in overwhelming margins. Former Republican strongholds along the coast and in the wealthier Hartford suburbs have been trending Democratic recently as the GOP has become increasingly conservative and regional, although most voters here have little difficulty differentiating between the national party and local moderate Yankee Republicans. While the Democratic incumbent here has a convincing advantage on paper to ward off any potentially strong challengers, Republican candidates can be very competitive as long as the local passions aren't inflamed against the conservatives in Washington.
In 2006, former Democratic state legislator
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
Joe Courtney
Joe Courtney (politician)
Joseph Courtney is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:Courtney grew up in suburban Hartford and became a 1975 graduate of Tufts University...
of Vernon defeated popular incumbent Republican Rob Simmons by a razor-thin margin of 83 votes. A disastrous year for Republicans nationwide, rather than any substantive dissatisfaction with Simmons, was the likely factor behind Courtney's victory. Since ousting incumbent Sam Gejdenson
Sam Gejdenson
Samuel "Sam" Gejdenson is a former United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Connecticut.Born in a displaced persons camp in Eschwege, Germany, Gejdenson was the child of a Belarussian father and Lithuanian mother. Gejdenson grew up in Bozrah, Connecticut on a dairy farm...
in 2000, Simmons had faced strong and well-funded competition each cycle but nonetheless prevailed by convincing margins given the generous Democratic lean of the district. Indeed, Courtney only managed his coup after failing to topple Simmons as a freshman in 2002. While Courtney may appeared well fortified to defend his seat in future elections, especially in the Presidential Election year of 2008
United States House elections, 2008
Infobox Election| election_name = United States House of Representatives elections, 2008| country = United States| type = legislative| ongoing = no...
, Connecticut Republicans feel confident that Simmons will force a third rematch, and prove that 2006 was merely an aberration. If Simmons demurs in aspiration of higher office, for which he is speculated to have long aimed, given likely vacancies for Senate in 2010 and 2012, or Governor in 2010, Republicans will be hard-pressed to put up a credible candidate, given a dearth of local and legislative Republicans in the district. State Senators John Kissel
John Kissel
John Andrew Kissel is an American politician. Kissel, a Republican, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 1993.Kissel, a resident of Enfield, represents East Granby, Enfield, Granby, Somers, Suffield, Windsor, and Windsor Locks in the Connecticut Senate.Kissel was born Worcester,...
(R - Enfield) and Tony Guglielmo (R - Stafford
Stafford, Connecticut
Stafford is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States, settled in 1719. The population was 11,307 at the 2000 census.-History:The Colonial Town of Stafford began as a rural agricultural community...
), and state representative Raymond Kalinowski (R - Durham
Durham, Connecticut
Durham is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut. The population was 6,627 at the 2000 census. Every autumn, the town hosts the Durham Fair, the largest volunteer agricultural fair in New...
), are among the small Republican delegation to Hartford from the 2nd district, and all have political bases somewhat removed from the heart of the district, making their candidacies unlikely. Democrats, meanwhile, if Courtney were to be defeated or to choose to retire, have plenty of options, including Senate President pro tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr.
Donald E. Williams, Jr.
Donald E. Williams, Jr. was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in a special election in 1993. Prior to his service in the State Senate, he served two terms as the First Selectman for the town of Thompson. In July 2004, Senator Williams was elected to serve as the President Pro...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
(who is currently jockeying for Governor in 2010) and Republican-turncoat representative Diana Urban from Stonington
Stonington, Connecticut
The Town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut, in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, Wequetequock, the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic...
who conducted a luke-warm write-in candidacy as an independent for the U.S. Senate in 2006.
Third District
The 3rd DistrictConnecticut's 3rd congressional district
Connecticut's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the central part of the state, the district includes the city of New Haven and its suburbs as well as surrounding areas....
envelops the greater part of New Haven County
New Haven County, Connecticut
New Haven County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2010 Census, the county population is 862,477 making it the third most populated county in Connecticut. There are 1,340 people per square mile...
, surrounding the city of New Haven, the district's population center. Long representing the New Haven area in the House, the 3rd District was once limited to the city itself and the inner-most suburbs. Due to Connecticut's generally stagnant population growth, and actual depopulation within New Haven, since the reapportionment, the 3rd District now also includes the entirety of the Naugatuck Valley, a crucial component of the former 5th district. While the district does take in some of Connecticut's prime shoreline real estate, in communities such as Guilford
Guilford, Connecticut
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census...
, most of the coastal towns in the 3rd are eminently middle-class, like Milford
Milford, Connecticut
Milford is a coastal city in southwestern New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between Bridgeport and New Haven. The population was 52,759 at the 2010 census...
and Stratford
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
. The district also notably encompasses the core area of Connecticut's large Italian-American community, from the area around Wooster Street in New Haven (home of world-renowned pizzerias Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza) to the very Italian neighborhood of Town Plot in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
. Many in New Haven's Italian community have since departed for the surrounding suburbs, but the string of towns stretching down the Naugatuck valley from Waterbury ranks among the heaviest concentrations of Italian Americans in the country, and East Haven
East Haven
East Haven may refer to:*East Haven, Connecticut, USA*East Haven, Vermont, USA*East Haven, Angus, Scotland*"Easthaven", another name for the card game Klondike...
and West Haven
West Haven
- Places :Australia:* West Haven, New South WalesNew Zealand:* Westhaven suburb, in Auckland* Westhaven Marina, in the suburb of the same name, in AucklandUnited States:* Westhaven, California * West Haven, Connecticut* West Haven, Oregon...
both have Italian populations approaching 50% of each town's population. The state's largest Portuguese-American community, in Naugatuck
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury, and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the...
, is also located in the 3rd District. The New Haven area retains an overwhelmingly Democratic heritage for the most part, although Republicans have made significant successful inroads in the ethnic communities of the suburbs. While historically Democratic, however, many of the voters here are somewhat socially conservative, especially in the Naugatuck Valley, although many years of representation by steadfast liberals may have eroded any advantage a challenger could have derived. Waterbury, Connecticut's 5th largest city, is a Democratic but very conservative city, where many of the Italian, Irish, and Lebanese voters have become increasingly comfortable voting for Republicans. After long remaining the focal point of the old 5th District, Waterbury was placed largely in the new 5th; yet, the considerably Republican and Italian neighborhood of Town Plot excised and lopped onto the 3rd, to the dismay of 5th District Republicans.
The representative from the 3rd District is Rosa L. DeLauro, the scion of an influential political family from New Haven. Before being elected in 1990
United States House elections, 1990
The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term...
, DeLauro worked as a political activist for liberal causes and an influential fundraiser for state and national Democrats, serving as chief of staff to Senator Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....
and Executive Director of EMILY's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
, a pro-choice PAC. Both of her parents were New Haven Alderman, and her husband, Stanley Greenberg, is a highly-reputed consultant and pollster with close affiliations to the Clintons. DeLauro has faced little opposition since 1990, when she barely defeated young state legislator Tom Scott of Milford, an anti-tax Republican who made DeLauro's strong support of a womans right to choose a central issue in the campaign. While Republicans almost captured the 1990 open-seat being vacated by Bruce Morrison
Bruce Morrison
Bruce Andrew Morrison is a former Congressman from Connecticut and candidate for Governor of Connecticut. He is a lobbyist and immigration lawyer...
in his unsuccessful campaign for Governor, and had actually held it for one term in the 1980s, the 3rd District has become more Democratic since the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
years and now remains and will continue to remain indefinitely an impregnable Democratic stronghold. While the socially conservative ethnic communities provide a slight opportunity for Republicans, the state party continues to be dominated by moderates who tend to fare much better in statewide races and in the other parts of Connecticut. Republicans could only conceivably compete for this seat were it to become open, and then only with a strong and credible campaign from someone like state Senator Len Fasano (R - North Haven
North Haven, Connecticut
North Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut.North Haven is less than ten miles from downtown New Haven and Yale University. It is near Sleeping Giant State Park and home the Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing,...
), Derby state representative Themis Klarides, or a Naugatuck Republican like state representatives Kevin DelGobbo, David Labriola, and mayor Ron San Angelo. If Rosa DeLauro were to vacate her seat in a run for a higher office or a cabinet position in the unlikely scenario of a Chris Dodd presidency, a long list of brand-name Democrats would rush to succeed her, among them Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney
Martin Looney
Martin M. Looney is an American politician. Looney, a Democrat, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 1993. Since 2004, Looney has served as Majority Leader of the Senate....
of New Haven, State Senator 2006 gubernatorial candidate and New Haven mayor John DeStefano, Jr.
John DeStefano, Jr.
John DeStefano, Jr. is the current mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. He was the Democratic candidate in 2006 for Governor of Connecticut, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell. He was also the named defendant in the landmark 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case of Ricci v...
, and Speaker of the House Jim Amann, a moderate.
Fourth District
The 4th DistrictConnecticut'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....
is the political region of Connecticut's famous "Gold Coast" — the string of prosperous enclaves along the shore of 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...
, home of many Manhattan elite and various other celebrities. While the rich towns of Greenwich
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 ...
, New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
, Stamford
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...
, Darien
Darien, 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...
, Fairfield
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
, Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
and Westport
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
may typify the luxurious stereotypes of Connecticut formed by many outsiders, the district is also home to one of the state's poorest communities, Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, the largest city in Connecticut. Before the redistricting, the 4th included exclusively the few towns on the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
from New York to Bridgeport; it now extends northward and eastward to take in the suburbs of Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
as well as many towns that once constituted the heart of the old 5th district. In so doing, the reapportioned district after 2002 followed many Republican natives of lower Fairfield County who had relocated further into Connecticut for economic reasons.
The representative of the 4th District is Jim Himes
Jim Himes
James A. "Jim" Himes is an American businessman and U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
who worked for 12 years at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. before leaving to head Enterprise Community Partners, a group that worked to combat urban poverty. Himes defeated longtime Republican incumbent Chris Shays in the November 2008 election.
The district has a long history of moderate and independent Congressmen, with Shays succeeding Representatives such as Stewart McKinney (who had died from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, in 1987) and Lowell P. Weicker (who became estranged from the Republican Party following his service on the Senate Watergate Committee). Shays, widely regarded as a social moderate, fended off strong challenges from Westport Selectman 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....
in 2004 and 2006, before local demographic shifts and a national mood favoring Democratic candidates resulted in his narrow defeat. Potential Republican candidates include Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 107thThe State of Connecticut recognizes Michael Fedele as the 107th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants as well as counting lieutenants who had...
from Stamford
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...
, State Senator (and son of the former Congressman) John P. McKinney
John P. McKinney
John P. McKinney is a Republican member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 28th district since 1999 and has served as its Minority Leader since June 2007....
of Southport
Southport, Connecticut
Southport is a section and census-designated place of the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, located along Long Island Sound between the Mill River and Sasco Brook . As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,585...
, and state House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
.
Fifth District
The 5th DistrictConnecticut's 5th congressional district
Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the northwestern part of the state, the district runs from...
is an approximate combination of the former 5th and 6th Districts before the 2000 Census. The district was designed as the result of a compromise among the redistricting committee as an evenly-divided territory into which a Republican and a Democratic incumbent were both drawn. The new 5th largely maintained the distinguishing feature of the old 5th — the I-84 corridor connecting Danbury to Waterbury, and then stretching southeastward to Meriden
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...
. And similar to the old 6th District, the 5th takes in most of Litchfield County and the towns of the Farmington Valley in Hartford County
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....
. In the presidential politics the district is the most amenable in the state to backing Republicans, as it voted slightly for John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
in 2004 and Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
in 2000, but on the whole provides both parties with ample opportunities and no overwhelming advantage. The suburbs of Waterbury, the small towns in Litchfield County, and the wealthy Farmington Valley, are all traditionally Republican and generally conservative outposts. Meriden and the city of New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
, located at the eastern fringe of the district, are both strongly Democratic towns that reliably give large pluralities to the Democratic candidate. The partisan balance, however, is even more difficult to determine given the differing ideological views around the district. The Farmington Valley Republicans as well as those in the wealthy enclaves in the Litchfield Hills have, like many Northeastern suburbs, become increasingly moderate on social issues and more amenable to Democratic overtures. Yet the ethnic communities centered around Waterbury and Danbury, are traditionally Democratic, but consistently conservative on social matters, and have provided winning margins for Republicans here. Thus, races here are difficult to handicap and are heavily influenced by the national mood of the electorate and the dominant issues of the election cycle.
The representative for the 5th District is newly-ensconced Christopher S. Murphy
Chris Murphy (politician)
Christopher Scott "Chris" Murphy is the U. S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.Murphy previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut Senate....
, a former state Senator and representative originally from Southington
Southington, Connecticut
Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of Connecticut's 1st congressional district. It is situated about 20 miles southwest of Hartford, about 80 miles northeast of New York City, 105 miles southwest of Boston and 77 miles west of Providence...
. Prior to the 2006 election, Murphy moved across the border to the 5th District town of Cheshire
Cheshire, Connecticut
Cheshire is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 28,543 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshire. In 2009 Cheshire was ranked 72 in Money Magazine's 100 Best Places to Live.Likewise, in 2011 Cheshire was ranked 73 in...
, and scored an impressive 56%-44% upset victory against 24-year Republican incumbent Nancy L. Johnson of New Britain. Both Murphy and Johnson are social liberals, but the influence of the Iraq War (which Johnson strongly supported) and the dour national prospects for Republicans, provided the boost that catapulted the onetime longshot bid of Chris Murphy to victory in November. The 5th District therefore provides the most fertile ground for Republicans eyeing a reversal of their huge losses in 2006, but Murphy's reputation as an indefatigable campaigner and shrewd strategist may deter a strong Republican bid in the presidential election year of 2008. Nonetheless, Connecticut Republicans have many choices to put up against Murphy in 2008, from all parts of the district. From Danbury, mayor Mark Boughton and state Senator David Cappiello
David Cappiello
David J. Cappiello , is a businessman and former State Senator representing Connecticut’s 24th Senate District, which includes the communities of Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman, and part of Bethel...
are both rumored to be interested; Waterbury area Republicans, state Senator Sam Caligiuri
Sam Caligiuri
Sam S. F. Caligiuri is a lawyer and former Connecticut State Senator. In 2010, he ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, but switched for a House seat in Connecticut's 5th congressional district...
, state representative Selim Noujaim, former state Senator Steve Somma, and former state representative Brian Flaherty of Watertown
Watertown, Connecticut
Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 21,661 at the 2000 census. The zip code for Watertown is 06795. It is a suburb of Waterbury. It borders the towns of Woodbury, Middlebury, Litchfield, Plymouth, Bethlehem, and Thomaston.-Founding History:More...
; New Britain mayor Timothy Stewart and Litchfield County state Senator Andrew Roraback
Andrew Roraback
Andrew Roraback is the state senator for Connecticut's 30th district.[1] . He represents Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris...
of Goshen
Goshen, Connecticut
Goshen is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,697 at the 2000 census.Each July, the Connecticut Agricultural Fair is held in town. It is also home to the Goshen players.-Geography:...
round out the choices, as well as libertarian talk show host Jim Vicevich
Jim Vicevich
Jim "Buddy" Vicevich is an American talk radio host based in Hartford, Connecticut. His show Sound Off Connecticut deals with local, as well as national, topics ranging from politics, economics and social issues, to movies and music...
of Avon. The only announced candidate thus far is Justin Bernier of Southington, who was an unsuccessful Republican contender against Sam Caligiuri in the primaries in 2010. Democrats, too, would have many formidable candidates to put up if Murphy is defeated or chooses to retire: Waterbury mayor Michael Jarjura
Michael Jarjura
Michael Jarjura is the Mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut.He was first elected in 2001 and reelected in 2003. In 2005, he was elected to a third term as a write-in candidate after losing the Democratic primary...
and state Senator Joan V. Hartley, both conservative Democrats; state Senator Thomas Gaffey
Thomas Gaffey
Thomas P. Gaffey is an American politician. Gaffey, a Democrat, had been a state senator from Connecticut since 1995, but left office due to criminal violations on January 5, 2011....
and House Majority Leader, Christopher Donovan, both of Meriden.