Connecticut's 2nd congressional district explained

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 all of New London County, Tolland County, and Windham County, along with parts of Hartford, Middlesex, and New Haven counties. Principal cities include Enfield, Norwich, New London, and Groton.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Joe Courtney. 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]

Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), Connecticut's 2nd district contains all or portions of five planning regions and 64 municipalities.

Capitol Planning Region (15)

Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry (including Coventry Lake and South Coventry), Ellington (including Crystal Lake), Enfield (including Hazardville, Sherwood Manor, Southwood Acres, and Thompsonville), Glastonbury (part; also 1st), Hebron, Mansfield (including Mansfield Center and Storrs), Marlborough (including Terramuggus), Somers (including Somers CDP), Stafford (including Stafford Springs), Suffield (including Suffield Depot), Tolland, Vernon (including Rockville), Willington

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region (12)

Chester (including Chester Center), Clinton (including Clinton CDP), Deep River (including Deep River Center), East Haddam (including Moodus), East Hampton (including East Hampton CDP and Lake Pocotopaug), Essex (including Essex Village), Haddam (including Higganum), Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook (including Fenwick, Old Saybrook Center, and Saybrook Manor), Westbrook (including Westbrook Center)

Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region (16)

All 16 municipalitiesSouth Central Connecticut Planning Region (1)

Madison (including Madison Center)

Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (20)

All 20 municipalities

Voter registration

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 31, 2023[3]
Party		Active	Inactive	Total	Percentage
	Democratic	align=center	144,072	align=center	13,769	align=center	157,841	align=center	29.85%
	Republican	align=center	115,845	align=center	9,243	align=center	125,088	align=center	23.66%
	Minor Parties	align=center	8,840	align=center	948	align=center	9,788	align=center	1.85%
	Unaffiliated	align=center	211,538	align=center	24,486	align=center	236,024	align=center	44.64%
Total		align=center	480,295	align=center	48,446	align=center	528,741	align=center	100%

Recent statewide election results

Election results from statewide races
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Gore 55–38%
2004	President	Kerry 54–44%
2008	President	Obama 58–40%
2012	President	Obama 56–43%
2016	President	Clinton 49–46%
	Senate	Blumenthal 61–36%
2018	Senate	Murphy 56–42%
	Governor	Stefanowski 49–45%
2020	President	Biden 55–44%
2022	Senate	Blumenthal 55–45%

Recent elections

2024

List of members representing the district

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

Member	Party	Years of Service	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1837
align=left	Samuel Ingham		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839		Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1837. Lost re-election.
align=left	William L. Storrs		Whig	nowrap	March 4, 1839 – June, 1840		Elected in 1839. Resigned when appointed Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Vacant		nowrap	June, 1840 – December 7, 1840
align=left	William Whiting Boardman		Whig	nowrap	December 7, 1840 – March 3, 1843		Elected in special election due to Storrs resignation. Retired.
align=left	John Stewart		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845		Elected in 1843. Lost re-election.
align=left	Samuel Dickinson Hubbard		Whig	nowrap	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849		Elected in 1845. Re-elected in 1847. Retired.
align=left	Walter Booth		Free Soil	nowrap	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851		Elected in 1849. Lost re-election.
align=left	Colin M. Ingersoll		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1855		Elected in 1851. Re-elected in 1853. Retired.
align=left	John Woodruff		American	nowrap	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857		Elected in 1855. Lost re-election.
align=left	Samuel Arnold		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859		Elected in 1857. Retired.
align=left	John Woodruff		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861		Elected in 1859. Retired.
align=left	James E. English		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1865		Elected in 1861. Re-elected in 1863. Retired.
align=left	Samuel L. Warner		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1867		Elected in 1865. Retired.
align=left	Julius Hotchkiss		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869		Elected in 1867. Retired.
align=left	Stephen Wright Kellogg		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875		Elected in 1869. Re-elected in 1871. Re-elected in 1873. Lost re-election.
align=left	James Phelps		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1883		Elected in 1875. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired.
align=left	Charles Le Moyne Mitchell		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887		Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Retired.
align=left	Carlos French		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889		Elected in 1886. Retired.
align=left	Washington F. Willcox		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893		Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Retired.
align=left	James P. Pigott		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895		Elected in 1892. Lost re-election.
align=left	Nehemiah D. Sperry		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1911		Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Retired.
align=left	Thomas L. Reilly		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913		Elected in 1910. Redistricted to the .
align=left	Bryan F. Mahan		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915		Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
align=left	Richard P. Freeman		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1933		Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost re-election.
align=left	William L. Higgins		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937		Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Lost re-election.
align=left	William J. Fitzgerald		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1939		Elected in 1936. Lost re-election.
align=left	Thomas R. Ball		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941		Elected in 1938. Lost re-election.
align=left	William J. Fitzgerald		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943		Elected in 1940. Lost re-election.
align=left	John D. McWilliams		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945		Elected in 1942. Lost re-election.
align=left	Chase G. Woodhouse		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947		Elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
align=left	Horace Seely-Brown Jr.		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949		Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
align=left	Chase G. Woodhouse		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951		Elected in 1948. Lost re-election.
align=left	Horace Seely-Brown Jr.		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1959		Elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Lost re-election.
align=left	Chester Bowles		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961		Elected in 1958. Retired when appointed Under Secretary of State
align=left	Horace Seely-Brown Jr.		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963		Elected in 1960. Retired after running for US Senate
align=left	William St. Onge		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1963 – May 1, 1970		Elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	May 1, 1970 – November 3, 1970
align=left	Robert H. Steele		Republican	nowrap	November 3, 1970 – January 3, 1975		Elected to finish St. Onge's term. Re- elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Retired after running for Governor of Connecticut.
align=left	Chris Dodd		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981		Elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired when elected to the US Senate
align=left	Sam Gejdenson		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2001		Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Lost re-election.
Rob Simmons	Republican	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007		Elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Lost re-election.
2003–2013
	Joe Courtney	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – present		Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
2013–2023
2023–present

References

• Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. 1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.
• Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. 1982. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

41.6536°N -72.2064°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: My Congressional District.
2. Web site: 2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List. 2023-01-10. Cook Political Report. en.
3. Web site: Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2023 . Connecticut Secretary of State . 2023-12-13 .