Connecticut's 5th congressional district

"CT-5" redirects here. CT-5 may also refer to U.S. Route 5 in Connecticut.
Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Current Representative Chris Murphy (D–Cheshire)
Area 1,282 mi²
Distribution 85.9% urban, 14.1% rural
Population (2000) 681,113
Median income $53,118
Ethnicity 80.2% White, 5.2% Black, 2.1% Asian, 10.5% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% other
Cook PVI D+2

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 Meriden and New Britain in central Connecticut, to Waterbury, the Litchfield Hills, and the Farmington River Valley.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Chris Murphy.

Contents

Municipalities in the District

It includes the towns of Avon, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Burlington, Canaan, Canton, Cheshire, Cornwall, Danbury, Farmington, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Meriden, Middlebury, Morris, New Britain, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plainville, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Simsbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Torrington (part), Warren, Washington, Waterbury (part), Watertown, Wolcott, and Woodbury, traditionally the most conservative part of Connecticut.

History

The area in what is now Connecticut's 5th congressional district has been historically Republican, but John Kerry carried the district by approximately 1,100 votes in the 2004 presidential election.[1] The district was Kerry's second weakest district in New England, falling behind only New Hampshire's 1st congressional district.

The current 5th Congressional District was created in 2002 due to reapportionment following the 2000 U.S. Census, in which Connecticut lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result, the former 5th Congressional District and 6th Congressional District were consolidated to form a new 5th Congressional District.

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.

Voter registration

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
  Democratic 114,743 5,918 120,661 29.63%
  Republican 95,084 4,836 99,920 24.54%
  Unaffiliated 174,924 10,412 185,336 45.52%
  Minor Parties 1,168 97 1,265 0.31%
Total 384,919 21,263 407,182 100%

Recent elections

2006 election

Connecticut's 5th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy 122,907 56.17
Republican Nancy Johnson (inc.) 95,891 43.83
Democratic gain from Republican Swing
Turnout 218,798

2008 election

Connecticut's 5th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy (inc.) 177,462 59.22 +3.05
Republican David Cappiello 117,044 39.06 -4.77
Independent Thomas Winn 2,914 0.97
Green Harold Burbank 2,263 0.76
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 299,683

2010 election

Connecticut's 5th congressional district election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Murphy (inc.) 118,231 52.02 -7.20
Republican Sam Caligiuri 102,092 44.92 +5.86
Working Families Chris Murphy (inc.) 4,648 2.05
Independent Sam Caligiuri 2,310 1.01
Democratic hold Swing
Turnout 227,281

List of representatives

Representative Party Years District home Note
District organized from Connecticut's At-large congressional district in 1837
Lancelot Phelps Democratic March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
Truman Smith Whig March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 Declined nomination
District eliminated after the 1840 census
District organized from Connecticut's At-large congressional district in 1913
William Kennedy Democratic March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 Lost re-election
James P. Glynn Republican March 4, 1915 – January 3, 1923 Lost re-election
Patrick B. O'Sullivan Democratic March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925 Lost re-election
James P. Glynn Republican March 4, 1925 – March 6, 1930 Died
Vacant March 6, 1930 – November 4, 1930
Edward W. Goss Republican November 4, 1930 – January 3, 1935 Lost re-election
J. Joseph Smith Democratic January 3, 1935 – November 4, 1941 Resigned on appointment as US Circuit Judge
Vacant November 4, 1941 – January 20, 1942
Joseph E. Talbot Republican January 20, 1942 – January 3, 1947 Retired to run for Governor
James T. Patterson Republican January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1959 Naugatuck Declined nomination
John S. Monagan Democratic January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1973 Waterbury Lost re-election
Ronald A. Sarasin Republican January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 Beacon Falls Retired to run for Governor
William R. Ratchford Democratic January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985 Danbury Lost re-election
John G. Rowland Republican January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1991 Waterbury Retired to run for Governor
Gary Franks Republican January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997 Waterbury Lost re-election
James H. Maloney Democratic January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003 Danbury Lost re-election
Nancy Johnson Republican January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 New Britain Merged with 6th District/Lost re-election
Chris Murphy Democratic January 3, 2007 – present Cheshire Incumbent

References

  1. ^ Connecticut's Secretary of State
  2. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02. 
Current districts: 1 2 3 4 5
All districts: At-large 1 2 3 4 5 6
See also: Connecticut's past & present Representatives, Senators, and Delegations, 2010 elections, 2012 elections
All U.S. districts – Apportionment – Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Maps