Connecticut Democrats Extend State US House Electoral Record to 45

The victories keep piling up, but two long-serving incumbents have been facing more competitive reelection bids to the nation’s lower legislative chamber

Although Donald Trump improved on his performance from four years ago at the top of the ticket in the reliably Democratic state of Connecticut, Republicans failed to put an end to one of the nation’s longest U.S. House partisan winning streaks.

All five Democratic incumbents were reelected to extend the party’s winning ways in races to the U.S. House to 45 consecutive contests.

Last cycle, Connecticut Democrats broke the state’s all-time partisan record since the dawn of the modern two-party era in 1828 – eclipsing the 38-win streak recorded by Connecticut Republicans more than a century ago from 1894 to 1908.

During that 14-year period, the GOP won all 36 general elections plus special elections in 1902 and 1905.

[It should be noted that prior to the modern two-party era, Federalists won more than seven-dozen consecutive U.S. House elections in Connecticut between 1794 and 1816].

Republicans have come within single digits of winning a U.S. House seat in just eight of these 45 races, including a ~4.3-point loss by former State Senator George Logan in a rematch against Rep. Jahana Hayes in the 5th CD this cycle.

Hayes’ narrow 0.8-point victory against Logan in 2022 was the closest shave Democrats have faced during this run.

The GOP has endured an average margin of loss of 22.9 points during this nine-cycle span of Democratic dominance since Republican Chris Shays won his 11th and final term in 2006.

Despite Hayes’ more comfortable win this cycle, the congressional races in the state do seem to be getting a bit tighter overall since new maps were drawn this decade.

With official tallies still forthcoming, Democrats won the five congressional districts by approximately 17.8 points in 2024, just slightly larger than the 15.5-point margin in 2022.

But Democrats had previously won the state’s five congressional districts by an average of 32.1 points in 2008, 18.2 points in 2010, 30.6 points in 2012, 20.4 points in 2014, 26.8 points in 2016, 23.8 points in 2018, and 21.3 points in 2020.

Moreover, nine-term incumbent Joe Courtney’s ~16.0-point victory was the closest reelection race of his congressional career.

Courtney’s margin has become slimmer every cycle since his 29.6-point triumph in 2016: winning by 26.7 points in 2018, 21.2 points in 2020, 18.1 points in 2022, and 16.0 points last week.

Meanwhile, despite a massive fundraising advantage, 17-term incumbent Rosa DeLauro from the 3rd CD won her reelection bid by ~19 points against New Haven small business owner (and convicted bank robber) Michael Massey. Each of DeLauro’s three narrowest reelection victories have come during the last three cycles (19.0 points in 2020, 16.2 points in 2022).

At 45 straight victories, Connecticut Democrats own the second largest active Democratic U.S. House winning streak in the country, behind the incredible 146 straight wins by Massachusetts Democrats.

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