Christopher Donovan
Christopher Donovan is a former Democratic member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing District 84 from 1993 to 2013. He served as state speaker of the House.
Donovan ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Connecticut's 5th District. Donovan sought the nomination on the Democratic ticket.[1] Donovan was defeated by Elizabeth Esty in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012.[2]
Biography
Donovan earned his B.S. in biology from Villanova University and his M.S. in social work from the University of Connecticut in 1980. His professional experience includes working as a labor representative for the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, Connecticut Citizen's Action Group, and Service Employees International Union. He had also been an adjunct faculty member in political science and sociology at the University of Hartford.[3]
He is a member of the Collegiate Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons Advisory Board and School of Social Work Advisory Committee at the University of Connecticut.[4]
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Donovan served on these committees:
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Donovan served on these committees:
- Joint Committee on Legislative Management (Co-Chair)
Elections
2012
Donovan ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Connecticut's 5th District. Donovan was defeated by Elizabeth Esty in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012.[2][5]
Following the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012, in which Elizabeth Esty defeated Donovan, the endorsed candidate of the Democratic party, discussion speculated on whether Donovan would choose to still run against Esty in the general election as the Working Families Party nominee.[6] However, in late August 2012, discussion began between Donovan, Esty and the Working Families Party over whether Esty might pick up the nomination of the party, preventing division among the Democratic party that might give way to a win by Republican nominee Andrew Roraback in the general election.
While Donovan was endorsed by the Democratic party and was the frontrunner for most of the campaign, an investigation by the FBI close to the primary hurt his chances in the primary. Two of Donovan's staff members were among eight people arrested and were immediately fired and replaced after a sting operation by the FBI in which the staffers were allegedly accepting campaign contributions from straw donors.[6] Although Donovan was not implicated and an investigation paid for by the campaign cleared him of having any knowledge of wrongdoing, it was enough to derail his campaign.[6]
Esty picked up endorsements in August 2012 from the Connecticut AFL-CIO and Governor Dan Malloy (D).[7]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Elizabeth Esty |
44.5% | 12,679 |
| Chris Donovan | 32.4% | 9,215 |
| Dan Roberti | 23.1% | 6,584 |
| Total Votes | 28,478 | |
2010
Donovan ran for re-election to the 84th District seat in 2010. He defeated Allan E. Pronovost (R), Ben C. Wojan (G) and We the People candidate David Parian in the November 2 general election.
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 84 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Christopher Donovan (D)
|
2,285 | |||
| Allan E. Pronovost (R) | 925 | |||
| David Parian (We the People) | 58 | |||
| Ben C. Wojan (G) | 44 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Donovan won re-election to the Connecticut House of Representatives from Connecticut's 84th District, defeating Joseph Moller (R). Donovan received 4,345 votes in the election while Moller received 908 votes.[8] Donovan raised $32,173 for his campaign.[9]
| Connecticut House of Representatives, District 84 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Christopher Donovan (D)
|
4,345 | |||
| Joseph Moller (R) | 908 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Endorsements
2012
Donovan received the endorsement of the Connecticut AFL-CIO on June 26, 2012.[10]
Donovan also received endorsements from:
- Connecticut Democratic Party
- Secretary of State Denise Merrill,
- Comptroller Kevin Lembo
- Former 5th District Representative Jim Maloney
- Congressman and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva
- Congresswoman and Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Chellie Pingree
- Connecticut Working Families Party
- Connecticut Citizen Action Group
- Progressive Change Campaign Committee
- Blue America
- SEIU CT State Council
- Connecticut State Police Union
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 40, AFT Connecticut
- AFSCME Council 4
- AFSCME Council 15 – the Connecticut Council of Police
- Connecticut Education Association
- Connecticut State Council of Machinists
- Connecticut Carpenters
- IAFF – Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut
- United Auto Workers Region 9A
- Connecticut Laborers District Council
- United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 777
Scorecards
Yankee Institute's Voter Guide
- See also: Yankee Institute's Voter Guide (2012)
The Yankee Institute, a pro-market think tank, releases its Voter Guide after each two-year legislative term. Each member of the Connecticut General Assembly receives a score from 0 to 10 based on how he or she voted in ten key votes. The Institute selects key votes which "reveal the differences between those legislators that would harness the power of individual liberty and the market to improve lives, and those that prefer a centrally-planned approach." A legislator with a 10 voted in agreement with the Yankee Institute on all 10 votes, while a legislator with a 0 voted against the Yankee Institute's views or was absent for all 10 votes.[11]
2012
Donovan received a score of 0 on the Yankee Institute's Voter Guide for 2011-12, tied with 72 others for the lowest score among the 152 scored members of the Connecticut House of Representatives. This score was 2 lower than his score of 2 for the 2009-10 term.[11]
Noteworthy events
Role as speaker
As the Speaker of the House, Donovan supervised a staff that included Douglas Whiting, whose role was to serve as the head of public relations for the Speaker. Whiting earned $162,850,50/year in this role, making him one of the 1,128 state employees in Connecticut who earned more than Gov. Dan Malloy.[12][13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Donovan lives in Meriden with his wife, Elaine Gallen Donovan. They have a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Aaron.[3]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Christopher + Donovan + Connecticut + House
See also
- Connecticut State Legislature
- Connecticut House of Representatives
- Connecticut House Committees
- Connecticut state legislative districts
External links
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000
- Campaign Website
- Twitter account
- Facebook page
- YouTube Channel
- Flickr page
Footnotes
- ↑ NBC Connecticut, "Donovan Running for Congress" accessed December 2, 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 AP Results, "U.S. House primary election results" accessed August 14, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ap" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chris Donovan for Congress, "Meet Chris" accessed February 15, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ NBC Connecticut, "Donovan Running for Congress" accessed December 2, 2011
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 My Record Journal, "Donovan talks to Esty: A step toward unity in 5th District?" accessed August 28, 2012
- ↑ My Record Journal, "Donovan talks to Esty: A step toward unity in 5th District?" accessed August 28, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "CT House official election results for 2008," November 5, 2008
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 Contributions," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ Donovan for congress, "The Connecticut AFL-CIO Endorses Donovan for Congress" accessed June 26, 2012
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Yankee Institute for Public Policy, "Yankee Institute Voter Guide for 2011-12," October 19, 2012
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Malloy's Pay Is Chump Change On State Payroll," March 27, 2011
- ↑ Connecticut Sunlight, "Homepage," accessed December 12, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Connecticut State House District 84 1993–2013 |
Succeeded by Hilda E. Santiago (D) |
