2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut

The 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Connecticut were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the five congressional representatives from the state, one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, a U.S. Senate election, and state legislature races.

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut

← 2010 November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014 →
All 5 Connecticut seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 5 0 Seats won 5 0 Seat change Popular vote 951,281 490,490 Percentage 64.87% 33.45% Swing 6.18% 6.99%
Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

Primaries to select Republican and Democratic candidates in some districts were held on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.^[1]

The Democratic candidate won in each of the five districts on election day.

Overview

The table below shows the total number and percentage of votes, as well as the number of seats gained and lost by each political party in the election for the United States House of Representatives in Connecticut. In addition, the voter turnout and the number of votes not valid are listed below.

United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2012^[2]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats
	Democratic	951,281*	64.87%	5
	Republican	490,490	33.45%	0
	Green	9,115	0.62%	0
	Libertarian	3,511	0.24%	0
	Others	12,022	0.82%	0
Total		1,466,419	100%	5

• *Includes 66,883 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed

District 1

See also: Connecticut's 1st congressional district

Democratic incumbent John Larson, who had represented the 1st district since 1999, sought re-election.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Larson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Decker, financial planner^[4]

Eliminated in primary

• Mike McDonald, member of the Windsor Town Council,^[5]

Results

Decker won the nomination^[6] at the Republican state convention on May 18, garnering 69% of available delegates.

General election

Results

Connecticut's 1st congressional district, 2012 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John B. Larson (incumbent)^[8]	206,973	69.7
	Republican	John Henry Decker	82,321	27.7
	Green	S. Michael DeRosa	5,477	1.8
	Independent	Matthew M. Corey	2,290	0.8
Total votes			297,061	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 2

See also: Connecticut's 2nd congressional district

Democratic incumbent Joe Courtney, who had represented the 2nd district since 2007, said in February 2011 that he would not run for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Joe Lieberman.^[9] Courtney ran for re-election.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joe Courtney, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Paul Formica, first selectman of the East Lyme Board of Selectmen

Eliminated in primary

• Doug Dubitsky, lawyer and candidate for this seat in 2010
• Daria Novak, business consultant and former State Department employee and candidate for this seat in 2010

Withdrawn

• Christopher Coutu, state representative^[10][11]

Primary results

At the Republican state convention on May 18, delegates in the second district endorsed Formica. Formica and Novak took part in the August 14 primary, which Formica won.^[12]

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul M. Formica	14,256	66.9
	Republican	Daria Novak	7,050	33.1
Total votes			21,306	100.0

General election

Results

Connecticut's 2nd congressional district, 2012 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Courtney (incumbent)^[13]	204,708	68.2
	Republican	Paul Formica	88,103	29.4
	Green	Colin D. Bennett	3,638	1.2
	Libertarian	Daniel J. Reale	3,511	1.2
Total votes			299,960	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 3

See also: Connecticut's 3rd congressional district

Democratic incumbent Rosa DeLauro, who had represented the 3rd district since 1991, ran for re-election.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Rosa DeLauro, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Wayne Winsley, Motivational speaker^[14]

Eliminated in primary

• Steve Packard^[15]

Results

At the Republican state convention on May 18, delegates in the third district endorsed Winsley.^[16] Following the Republican state convention, Steve Packard announced his intention to run for the office as an independent.^[17]

General election

Results

Connecticut's 3rd congressional district, 2012 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rosa DeLauro (incumbent)^[18]	217,573	74.7
	Republican	Wayne Winsley	73,726	25.3
	Independent	Hector W. Concepcion (write-in)	1	0.0
	Independent	Stephen "Steve" Packard (write-in)	1	0.0
Total votes			291,301	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 4

See also: Connecticut's 4th congressional district

Democratic incumbent Jim Himes, who had represented the 4th district since 2009, said in December 2010 that he would not run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.^[19] Himes ran for re-election.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Himes, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Obsitnik, chair and chief executive of Quintel Technology^[20]

Eliminated in primary

• Chris Meek, the founder of START Now!, a non-profit organization^[21]
• David Orner, executive with CIT Group^[22]
• Richard Wieland, retired businessman^[23]

Declined

• Dan Debicella, former state senator and nominee for this seat in 2010^[24]

Results

At the Republican state convention on May 18, delegates in the fourth district endorsed Obsitnik. Meek met the threshold required to force a primary, but decided not to challenge the endorsed candidate.^[25] Obsitnik lost to Himes.

General election

Endorsements

Steve Obsitnik (R)

Organizations

• National Republican Congressional Committee "Young Guns" Program^[26]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[27]	Safe D	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg^[28]	Safe D	November 2, 2012
Roll Call^[29]	Safe D	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[30]	Safe D	November 5, 2012
NY Times^[31]	Safe D	November 4, 2012
RCP^[32]	Likely D	November 4, 2012
The Hill^[33]	Safe D	November 4, 2012

Results

Connecticut's 4th congressional district, 2012 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Himes (incumbent)	175,929	60.0
	Republican	Steve Obsitnik	117,503	40.0
Total votes			293,432	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 5

See also: Connecticut's 5th congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Chris Murphy had represented the 5th district since 2007. He announced that he would not seek re-election for a fourth term. He instead ran for the U.S. Senate to replace Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman, who retired from the Senate. Murphy won election to the Senate.

Democratic primary

Prior to the Democratic primary, Donovan received the endorsement of the Connecticut Working Families Party and was granted placement on its ballot line for the general election.^[34] On August 30, Donovan withdrew his name from the Working Families line to allow the minor party to endorse Elizabeth Esty, the primary winner.^[35]

Candidates

Nominee

• Elizabeth Esty, former state representative^[36]

Eliminated in primary

• Chris Donovan, speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives^[37]
• Daniel Roberti, public relations firm worker^[38]

Disqualified

• Randy Yale, insurance underwriter^[39][40]

Withdrawn

• Mike Williams, advisor to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign^[41]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elizabeth Etsy	12,717	44.6
	Democratic	Chris Donovan	9,216	32.3
	Democratic	Dan Roberti	6,582	23.1
Total votes			28,515	100.0

Republican primary

At the Republican state convention on May 18, delegates in the fifth district endorsed Roraback. Roraback, Wilson-Foley, Bernier, and Greenberg took part in the August 14 primary.

Candidates

Nominee

• Andrew Roraback, state senator^[42]

Eliminated in primary

• Justin Bernier, former member of Governor Jodi Rell's cabinet^[43]
• Mark Greenberg, businessman^[38]
• Lisa Wilson-Foley, businesswoman^[44]

Withdrawn

• Mike Clark, chair of the Farmington Town Council and a former FBI agent^[45][46]

Declined

• Sam Caligiuri, former state senator and nominee for this seat in 2010^[47]

Endorsements

Lisa Wilson-Foley

Organizations

• Maggie's List^[48]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Andrew Roraback	9,536	32.1
	Republican	Mark Greenberg	8,033	27.0
	Republican	Justin Bernier	6,167	20.8
	Republican	Lisa Wilson-Foley	5,966	20.1
Total votes			29,702	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Elizabeth Esty (D)

Organizations

• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee "Red to Blue" Program^[49]
• EMILY's List^[50]

Andrew Roraback (R)

Organizations

• National Republican Congressional Committee "Young Guns" Program^[26]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Tossup	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg^[28]	Tossup	November 2, 2012
Roll Call^[29]	Lean D	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[30]	Lean D	November 5, 2012
NY Times^[31]	Tossup	November 4, 2012
RCP^[32]	Tossup	November 4, 2012
The Hill^[33]	Lean D	November 4, 2012

Results

Connecticut's 5th congressional district, 2012 ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elizabeth Esty^[51]	146,098	51.3
	Republican	Andrew Roraback^[52]	138,637	48.7
	Independent	John Pistone (write-in)	12	0.0
	Independent	Russ Jaeger (write-in)	10	0.0
Total votes			284,757	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

1. (PDF). State of Connecticut, State Elections Enforcement Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
2. . Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
3. Lewis, Charles J. (February 14, 2012). "Himes has commanding fundraising lead". The Stamford Advocate. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
4. Collins, Steve (March 19, 2012). "John Decker to run for Larson's 1st District seat". The Bristol Press. Retrieved May 15, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. McKinley, Julian (January 5, 2012). "McDonald to Run for Congress". Windsor Patch. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
6. Martel, Allen (May 18, 2012). "John Decker Wins GOP Endorsement to Face Larson for US Congress". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
7. "11/06/2012-General Election Results Presidential Electors For" (PDF). portal.ct.gov.
8. Includes 14,133 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed
9. "Joe Courtney: Not Running For U.S. Senate". Hartford Courant. February 21, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Republican declares 2nd run for Congress". Norwich Bulletin. April 22, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
11. Altimari, Daniela (May 14, 2012). . Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
12. Mark Pazniokas; Jacqueline Rabe Thomas; Aroosa Masroor (August 14, 2012). . Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
13. Includes 15,264 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed
14. Malik, Alia (October 18, 2011). . Republican-American. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
15. (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
16. Christopher Keating; Daniela Altimari (May 18, 2012). "Roraback Wins GOP Endorsement In 5th District But Primary Assured". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
17. Packard, Steve. "Steve Packard 2012". Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
18. Includes 20,410 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed
19. House, Dennis (December 10, 2010). "Himes Rules out Running for Lieberman Seat in 2012". The Hartfordite. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
20. Lockhart, Brian (November 16, 2011). "Westport businessman running for Congress". Connecticut Post. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
21. Altimari, Daniela (November 17, 2011). "Republican Chris Meek Formally Announces His Run for Congress in CT-4". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
22. Vigdor, Neil (October 6, 2011). "Himes faces growing field of challengers". Connecticut Post. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
23. Vigdor, Neil (March 9, 2012). "Greenwich Tea Party event sparsely attended". Connecticut Post. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
24. Vigdor, Neil (January 16, 2012). "Debicella to GOP: Not your fella in 2012". Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
25. Vigdor, Neil (May 26, 2012). "Obsitnik won't face primary for GOP House nod". Retrieved October 22, 2022.
26. . gopyoungguns.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
27. "The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races". Cookpolitical.com. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
28. "House Ratings". Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com. November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
29. [1], as of November 4, 2012^[update]
30. Crystal Ball, as of November 5, 2012^[update]
31. House Race Ratings, The New York Times, as of November 4, 2012^[update]
32. [2], as of November 4, 2012^[update]
33. "House Ratings". The Hill. November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
34. Altimari, Daniela (December 20, 2011). "Endorsements Boost 2 Democrats In 5th District Race". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
35. Jacqueline Rabe Thomas; Keith M. Phaneuf (August 30, 2012). "It's official, Donovan drops out of race". CTMirror.org. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
36. Turmelle, Luther (March 29, 2011). "Wife of DEP Commissioner May Get in Fifth District Race". Litchfield County Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
37. Connors, Bob (May 23, 2011). "Donovan Running for Congress". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
38. Boughton, Kathryn (April 13, 2011). "Kent Democrat Dan Roberti Entering 5th District Race". Litchfield County Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
39. Pazniokas, Mark (February 26, 2012). . The Connecticut Mirror. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
40. Godin, Mary Ellen (May 14, 2012). . Record-Journal. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
41. Tuz, Susan (May 12, 2011). "New Preston man seeks 5th District seat". Connecticut Post. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
42. Thomason, Rick (October 21, 2011). "Roraback officially in the running for 5th District seat". The Register Citizen. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
43. Miller, Robert (January 26, 2011). "Bernier announces he'll run in 5th District". The News-Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
44. Campbell, Ricky (June 24, 2011). "Fifth Congressional District GOP candidates bat around the issues at meeting". The Register Citizen. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
45. Sposato, Jennifer (April 5, 2011). "Former FBI Agent Running for Congress". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
46. Stuart, Christine (May 16, 2012). "Clark Drops Bid, Endorses Roraback". CT News Junkie. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
47. D'Aprile, Shane (February 1, 2011). "Caligiuri passes on another run for Rep. Murphy's seat". The Hill. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
48. . maggieslist.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
49. . DCCC. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
50. . emilyslist.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
51. Includes 8,609 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed
52. Includes 9,710 votes as listed as an Independent on the ballot.

External links

• from the Connecticut Secretary of State
• United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2012 at Ballotpedia
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Preceded by 2010 elections

United States House elections in Connecticut 2012

Succeeded by 2014 elections