Connecticut's 5th congressional district

Connecticut's 5th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Jahana Hayes D–Wolcott
Area	1,282 sq mi (3,320 km2)
Distribution	85.79% urban 14.21% rural
Population (2023)	722,450
Median household income	$89,288[1]
Ethnicity	63.3% White 20.9% Hispanic 6.7% Black 4.1% Two or more races 3.8% Asian 1.2% other
Cook PVI	D+3[2]

Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the western part of the state and spanning across parts of Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven, and Hartford Counties, the district runs from Meriden and New Britain in central Connecticut, westward to Danbury and the surrounding Housatonic Valley, encompassing the Farmington Valley, Upper Naugatuck River Valley, and the Litchfield Hills. The district also includes most of Waterbury.^[3]

The district is currently represented by Democrat Jahana Hayes. 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]

In the early 20th century the 5th congressional district included Waterbury, Litchfield County, and the Naugatuck Valley. It did not include any portion of Fairfield or Hartford counties and did not include the City of Meriden.

From 1964 to 1990 the 5th congressional district included many towns in Fairfield County which are now located in the 4th congressional district, such as Wilton, Monroe, Ridgefield, and Shelton. It also included the lower Naugatuck River Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Naugatuck which are now in the 3rd congressional district.

The current 5th congressional district was created in 2002 due to reapportionment following the 2000 U.S. census. Due to slow population growth, Connecticut lost a seat and the old Waterbury-based 5th district was merged with the New Britain-based 6th district. However, the merged district contained more of the old 6th's territory.

Although historically Republican, the 5th congressional district has been trending Democratic since 2004. John Kerry carried the district with 49.3% of the vote, a margin of 1,112 votes in the 2004 presidential election. Barack Obama carried the district in 2008 with 56.3% of the vote and in 2012 with 53.5% of the vote.

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), Connecticut's 5th district contains portions of four planning regions and 40 municipalities.

Capitol Planning Region (6)

Avon, Canton, Farmington, New Britain, Plainville, Simsbury

Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (10)

Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Plymouth, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury (part; also 3rd), Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury

Northwest Hills Planning Region (16)

Burlington, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington (part; also 1st) Warren, Washington

South Central Connecticut Planning Region (1)

Meriden

Western Connecticut Planning Region (7)

Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury (part; also 4th), New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Sherman

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

Representative	Party	Service	Cong ress(es)	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1837
Lancelot Phelps (Hitchcockville)	Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	25th	redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1837. Retired.
Truman Smith (Litchfield)	Whig	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843	26th 27th	Elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1840. Retired.
District eliminated following the 1840 census
District organized from Connecticut's at-large congressional district in 1913
William Kennedy (Naugatuck)	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
James P. Glynn (Winsted)	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923	64th 65th 66th 67th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Lost re-election.
Patrick B. O'Sullivan (Derby)	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1925	68th	Elected in 1922. Lost re-election.
James P. Glynn (Winsted)	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 6, 1930	69th 70th 71st	Elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Died.
Vacant		March 6, 1930 – November 4, 1930	71st
Edward W. Goss (Waterbury)	Republican	November 4, 1930 – January 3, 1935	71st 72nd 73rd	Elected to finish Glynn's term. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Lost re-election.
J. Joseph Smith (Prospect)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – November 4, 1941	74th 75th 76th 77th	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned when appointed Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Vacant		November 4, 1941 – January 20, 1942	77th
Joseph E. Talbot (Naugatuck)	Republican	January 20, 1942 – January 3, 1947	77th 78th 79th	Elected to finish Smith's term. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
James T. Patterson (Watertown)	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1959	80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th	Elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Lost re-election.
John S. Monagan (Waterbury)	Democratic	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1973	86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd	Elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Lost re-election.
Ronald A. Sarasin (Beacon Falls)	Republican	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979	93rd 94th 95th	Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
William R. Ratchford (Danbury)	Democratic	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985	96th 97th 98th	Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Lost re-election.
John G. Rowland (Waterbury)	Republican	January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1991	99th 100th 101st	Elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
Gary Franks (Waterbury)	Republican	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997	102nd 103rd 104th	Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Lost re-election.
James H. Maloney (Danbury)	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003	105th 106th 107th	Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Lost re-election.
Nancy Johnson (New Britain)	Republican	January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007	108th 109th	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Lost re-election.	2003–2013
Chris Murphy (Cheshire)	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013	110th 111th 112th	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
Elizabeth Esty (Cheshire)	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019	113th 114th 115th	Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired.	2013–2023
Jahana Hayes (Wolcott)	Democratic	January 3, 2019 – present	116th 117th 118th	Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
					2023–present

• Connecticut's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

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

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