Tagconnecticut

Stories about Connecticut

Connecticut announces plan to develop Native American studies curriculum for K-12 public schools

By Molly Byrne
In State
December 5, 2022 at 9:26 AM

Governor Ned Lamont (D) and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) announced a partnership with state tribal leaders on November 30, 2022, to develop a Native American studies model curriculum for K-12 students. The announcement follows legislation signed by the governor in June 2021. The bill established new subject matter requirements, including a requirement to establish a model curriculum for Native American studies to be implemented by the 2023-2024 school year, according to Senate Bill No. 1202. 

The curriculum aims to educate students on “the study of Native American tribes in Connecticut, including Northeastern Woodland tribes” and highlight indigenous voices in the curriculum development process, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor. The state Department of Education is responsible for developing curriculum guides to assist teachers with developing instructional materials that adhere to state standards.   

Governor Lamont released a statement that said, “Connecticut students deserve to have inclusive and accurate history lessons.” Lamont continued, “This curriculum is an important part of acknowledging our past and historical connections with our tribal nations. We are going beyond acknowledgment by building meaningful relationships with our tribal leaders and this curriculum effort is a prime example of that.”

CSDE plans to release the model curriculum in June 2023. 

Additional reading:

https://ballotpedia.org/K-12_education_content_standards_in_the_states

https://ballotpedia.org/K-12_curriculum_authority,_requirements,_and_statutes_in_the_states



All candidates for Connecticut House of Representatives District 142 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
November 3, 2022 at 3:11 PM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 142 — incumbent Lucy Dathan (D) and Donald Mastronardi (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. 

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Democratic Party controls both chambers of Connecticut’s state legislature. Connecticut is one of 14 states with a Democratic trifecta.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Dathan:       

“When I talk to voters at their doors, the devastating cost of insurance and prescription drugs is a heartbreaking story I hear over and over again. As a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, I have been able to make a commitment on behalf of all Norwalk and New Canaan residents to increase access to health care, mental health parity, ending surprise billing, and removing barriers to affordable and comprehensive care a reality.”

Mastronardi:       

“I am very passionate about fixing our deficits and long term debt. For 5 decades the Democrats have controlled the budget in this state and have put us on a path to bankruptcy. We need to bring common sense solutions to government and run it like I run my businesses, reward efficiency and hard work, eliminate waste, and work within a budget.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



All candidates for Connecticut State Senate District 8 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
October 19, 2022 at 11:03 AM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Connecticut State Senate District 8 — Paul Honig (D) and Lisa Seminara (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. 

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Democratic Party controls both chambers of Connecticut’s state legislature. Connecticut is one of 14 states with a Democratic trifecta.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?                        

Honig:       

  • “Make Connecticut more affordable by reducing taxes and the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs”
  • “Protect a woman’s right to choose”
  • “Defend Connecticut’s common sense gun safety legislation”

Seminara:       

  • “Build an affordable Connecticut for everyone through lower taxes, fewer regulations and a robust business climate.”
  • “Defend local control of education and zoning.”
  • “Expand resources to address the continuing mental health crisis.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:

Connecticut State Senate elections, 2022



Newcomers will represent 16% of Connecticut’s state legislative districts next year

By Douglas Kronaizl
In 2022 elections
August 2, 2022 at 3:04 PM

Thirty state legislative districts up for election in Connecticut this year are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. This represents 16% of the state’s legislature, an increase compared to recent election cycles.

Since no incumbents are present, all open districts are guaranteed to be won by newcomers.

Across all districts, there are nine contested primaries, representing 2% of all possible primaries.

Connecticut uses a convention-primary system, where candidates participate in a party nominating convention before the primary election. If more than one candidate receives over 15% of the delegate vote, the race proceeds to a contested primary. Candidates can also qualify for a primary ballot by gathering signatures. Learn more about Connecticut’s candidacy process here.

Either of these pathways can produce a contested primary, which is one where there are more candidates running than nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose.

There are seven Democratic primaries this year, a 30% decrease from 10 in 2020. Republicans are holding two contested primaries, a 50% decrease.

Overall, 341 major party candidates filed to run this year: 181 Democrats and 160 Republicans.

All 151 House districts and 36 Senate districts are up for election.

Connecticut has had a Democratic trifecta since the party won control of the governorship in 2010. Democrats hold a 97-54 majority in the House and a 23-13 majority in the Senate.

Connecticut’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for Aug. 9, the 12th statewide primary date of the 2022 state legislative election cycle.

Additional reading:

Connecticut House of Representatives elections, 2022

Connecticut State Senate elections, 2022



All Connecticut U.S. House incumbents file to run for re-election

By Juan Garcia de Paredes
In 2022 elections, Federal
July 22, 2022 at 9:59 PM

The filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Connecticut this year was June 7, 2022. Eleven candidates are running for Connecticut’s five U.S. House districts, including five Democrats and six Republicans. That’s 2.2 candidates per district, down from 2.6 in 2020 and 2018. 

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

  1. This is the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. Connecticut was apportioned five districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census.
  2. The 11 candidates running this year are the fewest since 2014, when 10 candidates ran, and down from 13 in 2020 and 2018. 
  1. All incumbents are running for re-election, meaning there are no open seats this year. The 5th District is the only Connecticut U.S. House seat to have opened up this past decade. It was open in 2012 after incumbent Rep. Chris Murphy (D) decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and again in 2018 when incumbent Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D) did not file for re-election. 
  2. The Republican primary in the 4th District is the only contested primary this year. That’s down from two in 2020 and 2018. 
  3. No incumbents are facing primary challengers. 
  4. Republican and Democratic candidates filed to run in all five districts, so no seats are guaranteed to either party this year.

Connecticut and three other states—Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin—are holding primary elections on August 9, 2022. Winners in primary elections in Connecticut are determined via plurality vote, meaning that the candidate with the greatest number of votes wins the election even if he or she did not win an outright majority of votes cast.



Connecticut enacts new congressional district boundaries after state supreme court adopts special master’s proposed plan

By Dave Beaudoin
In State
February 14, 2022 at 1:59 PM

Connecticut enacted new congressional district boundaries on Feb. 10 when the Connecticut Supreme Court adopted the redistricting plan submitted by a court-appointed special master. Connecticut was apportioned five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. This map will take effect for Connecticut’s 2022 congressional elections.

The state supreme court assumed control over congressional redistricting on Dec. 21, 2021, after the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission missed an extended deadline to complete the process by that date. Under state law, the Reapportionment Commission had assumed responsibility over congressional redistricting after the state’s Reapportionment Committee failed to meet a statutory Sept. 15, 2021, deadline due to delays in the release of census data.

Mark Pazniokas of The Connecticut Mirror wrote that in the adopted plan, “Three of the five districts are solidly Democratic, but the 2nd and the 5th are competitive, while leaning Democratic. Republicans have carried those districts in statewide races, including the 2018 gubernatorial election.”

According to Bloomberg Government‘s Greg Giroux, the map “moved just 71,736 people into new districts—the minimum number necessary to achieve population equality—and shifted the lines in only four municipalities, all of which are already divided between two districts.”

As of Feb. 10, 32 states have adopted congressional district maps, and one state has approved congressional district boundaries that have not yet taken effect. Federal or state courts have blocked previously adopted maps in two states, and nine states have not yet adopted congressional redistricting plans after the 2020 census. Six states were apportioned one U.S. House district, so no congressional redistricting is required. As of Feb. 10, 2012, 38 states had enacted congressional redistricting plans.

Congressional redistricting has been completed for 320 of the 435 seats (73.6%) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Additional reading:



Special election to be held for Connecticut House District 5 on March 1

By Myj Saintyl
In Local
February 7, 2022 at 10:51 AM

The special general election for the District 5 seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives is on March 1. Maryam Khan (D), Charles Jackson (R, Independent Party), Dean Jones (independent), and Lawrence Jaggon (independent) are competing in the special election. The deadline for parties to nominate candidates passed on Jan. 24. The write-in candidate filing deadline is on Feb. 15.

The special election was called after Brandon McGee (D) resigned on Jan. 7 to work on Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D) re-election campaign. McGee served from 2013 to 2022.

As of February 2022, 33 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in 15 states. Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 74 special elections took place each year. Connecticut held 45 state legislative special elections from 2010 to 2021.

Additional reading:



Hubert Delany wins Connecticut House special election

By Myj Saintyl
In State
January 27, 2022 at 9:24 PM

A special general election was held for the District 144 seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives on Jan. 25. Hubert Delany (D) won the special election with 1,661 votes and defeated Danny Melchionne (R), who received 1,323 votes. 

Candidates running for special elections in Connecticut are nominated through party conventions. The filing deadline for write-in candidates passed on Jan. 11.

The special election was called after Caroline Simmons (D) left office to become mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, on Dec. 1. Simmons served from 2015 to 2021. 

As of January 2022, 31 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in 15 states. Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 74 special elections took place each year. Connecticut has held 45 state legislative special elections from 2010 to 2021.

Entering the special election, the Connecticut House of Representatives had 95 Democrats, 53 Republicans, and three vacancies. A majority in the chamber requires 76 seats. Connecticut has a Democratic trifecta. A state government trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and both state legislative chambers.

Additional reading:



Connecticut Supreme Court appoints special master to assist in congressional redistricting

By Ellen Morrissey
In State
January 7, 2022 at 8:11 AM

The Connecticut Supreme Court appointed Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor, as a special master to assist it in the congressional redistricting process on Dec. 23, 2021. On Dec. 28, the court rejected a request from the Republican members of the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission asking the court to select a different special master or appoint two special masters representing Democrats and Republicans. 

The court, in its rejection of the request, said: “We do not welcome unsolicited partisan filings and will not permit this Court to merely become an extension of the breakdown of the process the people of the state have commanded.”

Congressional mapmaking authority transferred to the court after the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission did not meet its initial Nov. 30 deadline to complete redistricting. The court granted the commission an extension to Dec. 21, which it also did not meet. The Connecticut Supreme Court’s deadline to draw a congressional map is Feb. 15, 2022.

Connecticut has completed its legislative redistricting, having enacted a state House map on Nov. 18 and a state Senate map on Nov. 23. The commission, made up of four Democratic lawmakers, four Republican lawmakers, and a ninth member selected by the commissioners, took over the redistricting process after the previous Reapportionment Committee failed to meet its Sept. 15 deadline to select maps and win two-thirds approval from both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly.

Additional reading:



Congressional redistricting passes to Connecticut Supreme court after commission misses extended deadline

By Douglas Kronaizl
In State
December 23, 2021 at 11:24 AM

On Dec. 21, the Connecticut Supreme Court assumed control over the state’s congressional redistricting process after the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission announced it did not complete congressional maps before its noon deadline. The court has until Feb. 15, 2022, to approve new maps for the state’s five congressional districts.

This is the second time the commission—made up of four Democratic and four Republican lawmakers—missed its congressional redistricting deadline during the 2020 redistricting cycle.

The first deadline was Nov. 30, at which point the commission was required to have completed state legislative and congressional redistricting. The commission enacted state House and Senate maps on Nov. 18 and Nov. 23, respectively. After missing the Nov. 30 deadline for congressional redistricting, the supreme court assumed authority. The commission then petitioned for an extension to Dec. 21 which the court granted on Dec. 9.

Earlier, the commission publicly acknowledged that it would not meet the Nov. 30 deadline to finish congressional redistricting, citing delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This time, commissioners cited national political pressures for the delay but said their differences remained relatively minor and technical. House Speaker Matt Ritter (D) said, “The emotional nature of this, the intensity … I believe it has made it really hard for us to do our jobs here and it’s not for lack of effort.”

The state supreme court will likely appoint a special master. The commission was initially tasked with naming potential appointees to that position but did not agree on three names. Democratic commissioners have indicated they would support Nathaniel Persily, a law professor who served as a special master in 2011. Republican commissioners said they would like two special masters, one from each party. The supreme court, whose seven members were appointed by Democratic governors, will ultimately decide.

The Connecticut General Assembly is responsible for redistricting every cycle but has not produced new maps since 1981. In 1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021, the legislature missed its mid-September deadline to enact maps, passing authority to the commission in each cycle. The commission itself has missed its Nov. 30 deadline three decades in a row: 2001, 2011, and 2021. In all three cycles, the supreme court granted a Dec. 21 extension. The commission adopted maps before the extended deadline in 2001 but missed the extension in 2011 and 2021.

Additional reading: