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 United States [House of Representatives|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 2012 [United States presidential election|presidential election], a U.S. Senate election, and state legislature races.
Primaries to select Republican and Democratic candidates in some districts were held on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
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.- *Includes 66,883 votes received on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party, which cross-endorsed
District 1
Democratic incumbent John Larson, who had represented the 1st district since 1999, sought re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Larson, incumbent U.S. Representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- John Decker, financial planner
Eliminated in primary
- Mike McDonald, member of the Windsor Town Council,
Results
Decker won the nomination at the Republican state convention on May 18, garnering 69% of available delegates.District 2
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. Courtney ran for re-election.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Withdrawn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
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.District 3
Democratic incumbent Rosa DeLauro, who had represented the 3rd district since 1991, ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Rosa DeLauro, incumbent U.S. Representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Wayne Winsley, Motivational speaker
Eliminated in primary
- Steve Packard
Results
At the Republican state convention on May 18, delegates in the third district endorsed Winsley. Following the Republican state convention, Steve Packard announced his intention to run for the office as an independent.District 4
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. Himes ran for re-election.Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jim Himes, incumbent U.S. Representative
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Steve Obsitnik, chair and chief executive of Quintel Technology
Eliminated in primary
- Chris Meek, the founder of START Now!, a non-profit organization
- David Orner, executive with CIT Group
- Richard Wieland, retired businessman
Declined
- Dan Debicella, former state senator and nominee for this seat in 2010
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. Obsitnik lost to Himes.District 5
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. On August 30, Donovan withdrew his name from the Working Families line to allow the minor party to endorse Elizabeth Esty, the primary winner.Candidates
Nominee
- Elizabeth Esty, former state representative
Eliminated in primary
- Chris Donovan, speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- Daniel Roberti, public relations firm worker
Disqualified
- Randy Yale, insurance underwriter
Withdrawn
- Mike Williams, advisor to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
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
Eliminated in primary
- Justin Bernier, former member of Governor Jodi Rell's cabinet
- Mark Greenberg, businessman
- Lisa Wilson-Foley, businesswoman
Withdrawn
- Mike Clark, chair of the Farmington Town Council and a former FBI agent
Declined
- Sam Caligiuri, former state senator and nominee for this seat in 2010