Connecticut's 5th congressional district

Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the western part of the state and spanning across parts of Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven, and Hartford Counties, the district runs from Meriden and New Britain in central Connecticut, westward to Danbury and the surrounding Housatonic Valley, encompassing the Farmington Valley, Upper Naugatuck River Valley, and the Litchfield Hills. The district also includes most of Waterbury.[3]

Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative
Area1,282 sq mi (3,320 km2)
Distribution
  • 85.79% urban
  • 14.21% rural
Population (2023)722,450
Median household
income
$89,288[1]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+3[2]

The district is currently represented by Democrat Jahana Hayes. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+3, it is one of the least Democratic districts in Connecticut, a state with an all-Democratic congressional delegation.[2]

History

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Historically Republican, the 5th congressional district has been trending Democratic since 2004. John Kerry carried the district with 49.3% of the vote, a margin of 1,112 votes in the 2004 presidential election. Barack Obama carried the district in 2008 with 56.3% of the vote and in 2012 with 53.5% of the vote.

The current 5th congressional district was created in 2002 due to reapportionment following the 2000 U.S. census. Due to slow population growth, Connecticut lost a seat and the old Waterbury-based 5th district was merged with the New Britain-based 6th district. However, the merged district contained more of the old 6th's territory.

From 1964 to 1990 the 5th congressional district included many towns in Fairfield County which are now located in the 4th congressional district, such as Wilton, Monroe, Ridgefield, and Shelton. It also included the lower Naugatuck River Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Naugatuck which are now in the 3rd congressional district.

In the early 20th century the 5th congressional district included Waterbury, Litchfield County, and the Naugatuck Valley. It did not include any portion of Fairfield or Hartford counties and did not include the City of Meriden.

Composition

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For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), Connecticut's 5th district contains portions of four planning regions and 40 municipalities.

Capitol Planning Region (6)

Avon, Canton (including Canton Valley and Collinsville), Farmington (including Unionville), New Britain, Plainville, Simsbury (including Simsbury Center, Tariffville, Weatogue, and West Simsbury)

Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (10)

Bethlehem (including Bethlehem Village), Cheshire (including Cheshire Village), Middlebury, Plymouth (including Terryville), Southbury (including Heritage Village), Thomaston (including Thomaston CDP), Waterbury (part; also 3rd), Watertown (including Oakville and Watertown CDP), Wolcott, Woodbury (including Woodbury Center)

Northwest Hills Planning Region (16)

Burlington, Canaan (including Falls Village), Cornwall (including Cornwall Bridge, Cornwall CDP, and West Cornwall), Goshen, Harwinton (including Northwest Harwinton), Kent, Litchfield (including Bantam and Litchfield Borough), Morris, Norfolk (including Norfolk CDP), North Canaan (including Canaan Village), Roxbury, Salisbury (including Lakeville), Sharon (including Cornwall Bridge and Sharon CDP), Torrington (part; also 1st) Warren, Washington (including New Preston)

South Central Connecticut Planning Region (1)

Meriden

Western Connecticut Planning Region (7)

Bridgewater (including Bridgewater CDP), Brookfield (Brookfield Center, part of Candlewood Lake Club, and Candlewood Shores) Danbury (part; also 4th), New Fairfield (including Ball Pond, Bigelow Corners, Bogus Hill, Candlewood Isle, Candlewood Knolls, Inglenook, Kellogg Point, Knollcrest, part of Sail Harbor, and Taylor Corners), New Milford (including Chimney Point, part of Candlewood Lake Club, Gaylordsville, and New Milford CDP), Newtown (including Botsford, Dodgingtown, Hawleyville, Newtown Borough, and Sandy Hook), Sherman (including Lakeside Woods, part of Sail Harbor, and Sherman CDP)

Voter registration

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Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 30, 2012[4]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
Democratic 108,601 4,720 113,321 29.96%
Republican 89,242 3,554 92,796 24.53%
Minor parties 3,728 152 3,880 1.03%
Unaffiliated 159,433 8,782 168,215 44.489%
Total 361,004 17,208 378,212 100%

Recent presidential elections

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Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2000 President Gore 52–43%
2004 President Kerry 49.3–49%
2008 President Obama 56–42%
2012 President Obama 54–45%
2016 President Clinton 50–46%
2020 President Biden 55–44%

Recent elections

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Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy 122,980 56%
Republican Nancy Johnson (incumbent) 94,824 44%
Democratic gain from Republican Swing
Turnout 217,804 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy (incumbent) 178,377 59%
Republican David Cappiello 117,585 39%
Independent Thomas Winn 3,066 1%
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 301,345 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy (incumbent) 122,879 54%
Republican Sam Caligiuri 104,402 46%
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 227,281 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Elizabeth Esty 142,201 52%
Republican Andrew Roraback 133,256 48%
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 275,457 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Elizabeth Esty (incumbent) 113,564 53%
Republican Mark Greenberg 97,767 46%
Independent John Pistone 1,970 1%
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 213,301 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Elizabeth Esty (incumbent) 179,252 58%
Republican Clay Cope 129,801 42%
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 309,053 100%
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jahana Hayes 151,225 55.9
Republican Manny Santos 119,426 44.1
Independent John Pistone (write-in) 13 0.0
Total votes 270,664 100.0
Democratic hold
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jahana Hayes (incumbent) 192,484 55.1
Republican David X. Sullivan 151,988 43.5
Independent Bruce Walczak 5,052 1.4
Total votes 349,524 100.0
Democratic hold
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District Election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jahana Hayes (incumbent) 127,483 50.36
Republican George Logan 125,641 49.64
Total votes 253,124 100.0
Democratic hold

List of members representing the district

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District organized from Connecticut's at-large congressional district in 1837.

Representative Party Service Cong
ress(es)
Electoral history Location
District created March 4, 1837
Lancelot Phelps
(Hitchcockville)
Democratic March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1839
25th redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1837.
Retired.
 
Truman Smith
(Litchfield)
Whig March 4, 1839 –
March 3, 1843
26th
27th
Elected in 1839.
Re-elected in 1840.
Retired.
District eliminated following the 1840 census
District organized from Connecticut's at-large congressional district in 1913
 
William Kennedy
(Naugatuck)
Democratic March 4, 1913 –
March 3, 1915
63rd Elected in 1912.
Lost re-election.
 
James P. Glynn
(Winsted)
Republican March 4, 1915 –
March 3, 1923
64th
65th
66th
67th
Elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Re-elected in 1920.
Lost re-election.
 
Patrick B. O'Sullivan
(Derby)
Democratic March 4, 1923 –
March 3, 1925
68th Elected in 1922.
Lost re-election.
 
James P. Glynn
(Winsted)
Republican March 4, 1925 –
March 6, 1930
69th
70th
71st
Elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Died.
Vacant March 6, 1930 –
November 4, 1930
71st
Edward W. Goss
(Waterbury)
Republican November 4, 1930 –
January 3, 1935
71st
72nd
73rd
Elected to finish Glynn's term.
Re-elected in 1930.
Re-elected in 1932.
Lost re-election.
 
J. Joseph Smith
(Prospect)
Democratic January 3, 1935 –
November 4, 1941
74th
75th
76th
77th
Elected in 1934.
Re-elected in 1936.
Re-elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Resigned when appointed Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Vacant November 4, 1941 –
January 20, 1942
77th
 
Joseph E. Talbot
(Naugatuck)
Republican January 20, 1942 –
January 3, 1947
77th
78th
79th
Elected to finish Smith's term.
Re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
 
James T. Patterson
(Watertown)
Republican January 3, 1947 –
January 3, 1959
80th
81st
82nd
83rd
84th
85th
Elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Lost re-election.
 
John S. Monagan
(Waterbury)
Democratic January 3, 1959 –
January 3, 1973
86th
87th
88th
89th
90th
91st
92nd
Elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1962.
Re-elected in 1964.
Re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Lost re-election.
 
Ronald A. Sarasin
(Beacon Falls)
Republican January 3, 1973 –
January 3, 1979
93rd
94th
95th
Elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
 
William R. Ratchford
(Danbury)
Democratic January 3, 1979 –
January 3, 1985
96th
97th
98th
Elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Re-elected in 1982.
Lost re-election.
 
John G. Rowland
(Waterbury)
Republican January 3, 1985 –
January 3, 1991
99th
100th
101st
Elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
 
Gary Franks
(Waterbury)
Republican January 3, 1991 –
January 3, 1997
102nd
103rd
104th
Elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Lost re-election.
 
James H. Maloney
(Danbury)
Democratic January 3, 1997 –
January 3, 2003
105th
106th
107th
Elected in 1996.
Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Lost re-election.
 
Nancy Johnson
(New Britain)
Republican January 3, 2003 –
January 3, 2007
108th
109th
Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Lost re-election.
2003–2013 
 
Chris Murphy
(Cheshire)
Democratic January 3, 2007 –
January 3, 2013
110th
111th
112th
Elected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
 
Elizabeth Esty
(Cheshire)
Democratic January 3, 2013 –
January 3, 2019
113th
114th
115th
Elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Retired.
2013–2023 
 
Jahana Hayes
(Wolcott)
Democratic January 3, 2019 –
present
116th
117th
118th
Elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Re-elected in 2024.
2023–present 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "My Congressional District".
  2. ^ a b "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "5th Congressional District | Republican-American".
  4. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 30, 2012" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2012.

Further reading

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41°41′40″N 73°12′36″W / 41.69444°N 73.21000°W / 41.69444; -73.21000