Connecticut's 3rd congressional district explained

State:	Connecticut
District Number:	3
Image Caption:	Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative:	Rosa DeLauro
Party:	Democratic
Residence:	New Haven
English Area:	485
Percent Urban:	96.7
Percent Rural:	3.3
Population:	735,042
Population Year:	2022
Median Income:	$86,205^[1]
Percent White:	60.7
Percent Hispanic:	16.8
Percent Black:	13.4
Percent Asian:	4.7
Percent More Than One Race:	3.5
Percent Other Race:	0.8
Cpvi:	D+7^[2]

Connecticut's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the central part of the state, the district includes the city of New Haven and its surrounding suburbs.

Principal cities include: Middletown, New Haven, and Stratford.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Rosa DeLauro.

History

The 3rd congressional district has existed since 1837, having been organized from the at-large congressional district. It is centered on New Haven and its suburbs. The district comprises four-fifths of New Haven County, a small portion of Middlesex County, including most of Middletown, and most of Stratford and a small section of Shelton in Fairfield County.

New Haven and its surrounding suburbs are largely Democratic, making the district very Democratic in local and federal elections. Among districts statewide, only the 1st congressional district is considered more Democratic. Four Democratic strongholds, New Haven, Hamden, Middletown, and West Haven, comprise 40% of the total district population. Since 2000, Democratic presidential candidates have carried the district by a margin of 26 points. John Kerry, being the exception, still defeated George W. Bush by a comfortable 14 points. On the state level, moderate Republicans John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell have also carried the district.

Since 1933, Democrats have held the district for all but six terms (1943–45, 1947–49, 1953–59, 1981–83). Between 1972-1988, every Republican nominee for President carried the district, along with the state itself. In his sole run for a House seat, Joe Lieberman, lost the district to a Republican in 1980.

Towns in the district

Fairfield County – Shelton (part) and Stratford.

New Haven County – Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Milford, Naugatuck, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Wallingford, Waterbury (part), West Haven, and Woodbridge.

Middlesex County – Durham, Middlefield, and Middletown (part).

Voter registration

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 30, 2012^[3]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	align = center	145,529	align = center	10,801	align = center	156,330	align = center	37.50%
	Republican	align = center	65,324	align = center	3,352	align = center	68,676	align = center	16.47%
	Minor Parties	align = center	873	align = center	120	align = center	993	align = center	0.24%
	Unaffiliated	align = center	178,593	align = center	12,340	align = center	190,933	align = center	45.80%
Total		align = center	390,319	align = center	26,613	align = center	416,932	align = center	100%

Recent presidential elections

Election results from presidential races
Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Gore 60–34%
2004	President	Kerry 56–42%
2008	President	Obama 63–36%
2012	President	Obama 63–36%
2016	President	Clinton 56–40%
2020	President	Biden 60–39%

Recent elections

2022

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years of Service	Cong ress	Electoral history	Location
District created March 4, 1837
align=left	Elisha Haley		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839	Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1837.
align=left	Thomas Wheeler Williams		Whig	nowrap	March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843	Elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1840. Retired.
align=left	George S. Catlin		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	Elected in 1843. Retired.
align=left	John A. Rockwell		Whig	nowrap	March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849	Elected in 1845. Re-elected in 1847. Lost re-election.
align=left	Chauncey Fitch Cleveland		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	Elected in 1849. Re-elected in 1851. Retired.
align=left	Nathan Belcher		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	Elected in 1853. Retired.
align=left rowspan=2	Sidney Dean		Know Nothing	nowrap	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Retired.
	Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859			Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Retired.
align=left	Alfred A. Burnham		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863	Elected in 1859. Re-elected in 1861. Retired.
align=left	Augustus Brandegee		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1867	Elected in 1863. Re-elected in 1865.
align=left	Henry H. Starkweather		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1867 – January 28, 1876	Elected in 1867. Re-elected in 1869. Re-elected in 1871. Re-elected in 1873. Re-elected in 1875. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	January 28, 1876 – April 12, 1876
align=left	John T. Wait		Republican	nowrap	April 12, 1876 – March 3, 1887	Elected to finish Starkweather's term. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Retired.
align=left	Charles Addison Russell		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1887 – October 23, 1902	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	October 23, 1902 – November 4, 1902
align=left	Frank B. Brandegee		Republican	nowrap	November 4, 1902 – May 10, 1905	Elected to finish Russell's term. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Resigned when elected to the US Senate
Vacant		nowrap	May 10, 1905 – October 2, 1905
align=left	Edwin W. Higgins		Republican	nowrap	October 2, 1905 – March 3, 1913	Elected to finish Brandegee's term. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Retired.
align=left	Thomas L. Reilly		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	Elected in 1912. Lost re-election.
align=left	John Q. Tilson		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1915 – December 3, 1932	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. Resigned.
Vacant		nowrap	December 3, 1932 – March 3, 1933
align=left	Francis T. Maloney		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935	Elected in 1932. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
align=left	James A. Shanley		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1943	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election.
align=left	Ranulf Compton		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945	Elected in 1942. Lost re-election.
align=left	James P. Geelan		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947	Elected in 1944. Lost re-election.
align=left	Ellsworth Foote		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
align=left	John A. McGuire		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953	Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Lost re-election.
align=left	Albert W. Cretella		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959	Elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Lost re-election.
align=left	Robert Giaimo		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1981	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. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Retired.
align=left	Lawrence J. DeNardis		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983	Elected in 1980. Lost re-election.
align=left	Bruce Morrison		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1991	Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Retired to run for Governor of Connecticut.
Rosa DeLauro	Democratic	January 3, 1991 – present		Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-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.
1993–2003
2003–2013
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

41.3853°N -72.8775°W

Notes and References

Web site: My Congressional District. US Census Bureau. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP). www.census.gov.
Web site: 2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List. 2023-01-10. Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022 . en.
Web site: Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 30, 2012 . Connecticut Secretary of State . October 30, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/nov12re.pdf . September 23, 2006 . dead.