Connecticut’s candidates for the 2018 midterm elections
By: Adriana Navarro
Tags: Elections, Politics, Midterms, Government, Congress

Connecticut’s Congress representatives in the House and Senate are all Democrats, as well as its current governor. According to predictions, it isn’t likely to change in the 2018 midterm elections.

According to FiveThirtyEight, all five Congressional Districts are listed as solid Democrat, most of them with more than a 99 percent chance. The only district that has less than that is the 5th District, the only district in Connecticut that will not have the incumbent representative running for re-election. Still, the 5th District holds a 97.7 percent chance of Democrats winning. 270towin has listed the First through Fourth Districts as safe for the incumbent representatives.

As for the Senate, Democrat Christopher Murphy is expected to win with a more than 99.9 percent chance according to FiveThirtyEight.

Important Dates and Deadlines

The deadline to register to vote in Colorado for the 2018 general midterm election is seven days before the election.

Election Day is Nov. 6.

Senate

Publisher: FiveThirtyEight

Christopher S. Murphy (D)

Democrat Christopher S. Murphy is one of the incumbent U.S. senators representing Connecticut and is running for re-election.

Murphy was first elected into the U.S. Senate in 2013 and has been serving in it since. Before he was in the Senate, he represented Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House starting in 2007 for three terms and was on the Connecticut State Senate from 2003 to 2006.

After the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub, Murphy filibustered on the Senate floor for 15 hours for a vote on gun violence measures. Murphy also worked with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy to write the Mental Health Reform Act.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Protect the Affordable Care Act

Gun regulations

Provide mental health care for veterans

Supports equal rights for women and the LGBTQ community

Matthew Corey (R)

Republican Matthew Corey is running for the position of U.S. senator for Connecticut.

Corey ran for a seat in the U.S. House for Connecticut’s 1st District in 2012, 2014 and 2016 against Democrat John Larson.

In an article from CTpost, the publication mentions his following stances among others:

Supports $1.5 trillion tax cut

Repeal individual health care

Decrease business and environmental regulations

Erasure of “Radical Islam”

Eliminate the Federal Department of Education

Jeffery Russell (G)

Green Jeffery Russell is running for the position of U.S. senator for Connecticut.

Russell ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016, the U.S. House in 2014 and the Connecticut State Senate in 2012.

Russell has no campaign website

Richard Lion (L)

Libertarian Richard Lion is running for the position of U.S. senator for Connecticut.

Lion has served in the United States Air Force and the Connecticut Air National Guard. According to his campaign website, this is his 9th time running for public office. A few of his other races include running for the mayor of the city of Hartford, as representative in the Connecticut House in 2014 and the U.S. Senate in 2016.

His campaign website lists the following stances among others:

Pro-Second Amendment without regulations

End the war on drugs

Decrease military spending

Governor

Ned Lamont

Democrat Ned Lamont is running for the position of governor of Connecticut.

Lamont founded Lamont Digital Systems, a cable company with the division Campus Televideo that would serve more than 220 colleges and universities across the nation. In 2015, he sold the division to Apogee. Lamont remains the chairman of Lamont Digital Systems. Lamont has also served on the boards of Mercy Corps and the Conservation Services Group, now owned by CLEAResult.

In 2006, Lamont ran for the U.S. Senate against then-incumbent Democrat Joe Lieberman who had held the position for four terms. He defeated Lieberman in the primaries, but lost to him in the general election after Lieberman ran as an independent.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Protecting the Affordable Care Act

Gun regulations

Give a property tax cut

Continue to cut carbon emissions

Bob Stefanowski

Republican Bob Stefanowski is running for the position of governor of Connecticut.

Stefanowski has been the chief executive officer for DFC Global Corp., the chief financial officer for UBS Investment Bank and other leadership positions for various companies. Stefanowski’s stance for his campaign is that Connecticut needs a businessman.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Reform taxes in Connecticut

Oz Griebel (I)

Independent Oz Griebel is running for the position of governor of Connecticut.

Griebel was the president and CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance for 17 years and has been involved in corporate boards of MacDermid, Inc.; Tallen, Inc. and World Business Capital. He has also served on the boards of the Annual Fund of the United Way of the Central Naugatuck Valley, Bradley International Airport and the University of Hartford.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Supports abortion rights

Address the opioid crisis

Pro-Second Amendment with regulation

Legalize marijuana

Rod Hanscomb (L)

Libertarian Rod Hanscomb is running for the position of governor of Connecticut.

Hanscomb served six years of active duty in the U.S. Military. When he returned and earned a degree, he founded a few small businesses.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Eliminate income tax

Cut government spending

Mark Stewart Greenstein (Amigo Constitution Party)

Amigo Constitution Party member Mark Stewart Greenstein is running for the position of governor of Connecticut.

Greenstein is a former lawyer and an educator.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Repeal the Affordable Care Act

Supports the death penalty

Reduce regulations on businesses

House

District 1

Publisher: FiveThirtyEight

John Larson (D)

Democrat John Larson is the incumbent House representative of Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District and is running for re-election.

Larson has served as a House representatives for 10 terms, having first been elected in 1998. During his time in the House, he introduced the Social Security 1000 Act, the Promise Zone Job Creation Act and others. Before becoming a House representative, he was in the Connecticut State Senate representing the 3rd District from 1983 until 1995. During this time, he wrote and passed the Family Medical Leave Act.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Jennifer Nye (R)

Republican Jennifer Nye is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District.

Her campaign website’s about page lists the following stances among others:

Strong military

Support for job creation

Tom McCormick (Green Party)

Green Tom McCormick is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Protect against discrimination

District 2

Publisher: FiveThirtyEight

Joe Courtney (D)

Democrat Joe Courtney is the incumbent House representative of Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District and is running for re-election.

Courtney has served in the U.S. House since his first election in 2006. A member of the Armed Services Committee, Courtney calls himself an advocate for veterans and service members. He has fought to expand the Montgomery GI Bill for post-9/11 veterans and their families and to extend TRICARE benefits to dependents under the age of 26. Partnering with Sen. John McCain, he introduced the Post-9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act.

Before serving in the U.S. House, Courtney was in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1987 until 1994.

His website’s issues page does not list the stances he takes on the topics.

Dan Postemski (R)

Republican Dan Postemski is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District.

Potemski served in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving from Okinawa, Japan to Fallujah, Iraq. In 2017, he was elected as the Hampton constable.

His campaign page is unavailable, but in an article with the Journal Inquirer, he lists the following stances among others:

Pro-Second Amendment without regulations

Streamlining health care

Relieving student loan debt

Michelle Louise Bicking (G)

Green Michelle Louise Bickering is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District.

Bickering is a clinical social worker and the Executive Director and Founder of Hidden Acres Farm.

Her campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Legalization, decriminalization and regulation of marijuana

Supports abortion rights

LGBTQIA Rights

Eliminating student debt

Pro-Second Amendment with gun regulation

Daniel Reale (L)

Libertarian Daniel Reale is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District.

Reale has ran for the same seat in 2012, 2014 and 2016, all against Democrat Joe Courtney.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Health care reform

Remove the federal government from the education business

Pro-Second Amendment without regulation

District 3

Publisher: FiveThirtyEight

Rosa L. DeLauro (D)

Democrat Rosa L. DeLauro is the incumbent U.S. House representative of Connecticut’s 3rd Congressional District and is running for re-election.

DeLauro has held the position of U.S. House representative since 1991. She advocated for legislation such as the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act and introduced acts such as the Birth Defects, Prevention, Risk Reduction, an Awareness Act, the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act, the Post 9/11 Veterans’ Job Training Act, SAFER Streets Act and played a part in writing the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Before her first election, she was the Chief of Staff to Sen. Christopher Dodd, the first Executive Director of EMILY’s List and Executive Director of Countdown ’87, the national campaign that ended U.S. military aid to the Nicaraguan Contras.

Her website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Protect the Affordable Care Act

Pro-Second Amendment with regulation

Support for veterans

Invest in clean energy and move away from fossil fuels

Angel Cadena (R)

Republican Angel Cadena is running for the position of House representative of Connecticut’s 3rd Congressional District.

Cadena is a Marine Corps veteran and has previously ran for the same position in 2016 against Democrat Rosa DeLauro. In 2014, he ran for the office of Connecticut Comptroller against Sharon McLaughlin in the Republican primaries.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Improve transportation infrastructure

District 4

Jim Himes

Democrat Jim Himes is the incumbent House representative of Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District and is running for re-election.

Himes has served in the House since his election in 2008. During his time in the House, he has sponsored legislations such as the Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act and co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act along with other bills.

Before becoming involved in politics, he worked at Goldman Sachs & Co., rising to the position of vice president.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Supports LGBT equality

Equal pay for equal work

Improve the Affordable Care Act

Protect Medicare and Medicaid

Immigration reform

Harry Arora

Republican Harry Arora is running for the position of U.S. House representative of Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District.

Arora is a businessman who founded the investment firm Arcim Advisors and is a partner in the energy investment firm Northlander Commodity Advisors.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Introduce a new health care plan

Reform failing schools

Encourage development of the technology industry in the 4th District

Pro-Second Amendment with regulations

District 5

Publisher: FiveThirtyEight

Jahana Hayes (D)

Democrat Jahana Hayes is running for the position of U.S. House representative of Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.

Hayes is a former teacher and is currently the Talent and Professional Development Supervisor for Public Schools. In 2016, she received the National Teacher of the Year Award.

Her campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others:

Address inequality

Protect and preserve natural resources

Supports gun regulations

Supports abortion rights

Single-payer health care

Manny Santos (R)

Republican Manny Santos is running for the position of U.S. House representative of Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.

A U.S. Marine veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, Santos was the mayor of the City of Meriden and is a founding member of the Latino National Republican Coalition of Connecticut.

His campaign website’s issues page lists the following stances among others: