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Connecticut State Senate elections, 2024
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| 2024 Connecticut Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | August 13, 2024 |
| General | November 5, 2024 |
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Elections for the Connecticut State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was August 13, 2024. The filing deadline was June 11, 2024.
Following the election, Democrats maintained a 25-11 veto-proof majority.
Before the election, Democrats had a veto-proof majority in the Senate but not the House. Democrats needed to maintain their Senate seats and gain at least three House seats to attain a legislative veto-proof majority. Republicans needed to win at least one Senate seat or lose fewer than three House seats to prevent a Democratic legislative veto-proof majority.
The Connecticut State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Connecticut State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 25 | |
| Republican Party | 12 | 10 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 36 | 36 | |
Candidates
General election
Connecticut State Senate general election 2024 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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Luis Delgado (Green Party) |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
Lisa Seminara (i) |
Lisa Seminara (i) (Republican Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 11 |
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| District 12 |
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| District 13 |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
Christopher Robertson (Democratic Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 22 |
Robert E. Halstead (Independent Party) |
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| District 24 |
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| District 25 |
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| District 26 |
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Kami Evans (Republican Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 35 |
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Merry Garrett (Democratic Party, Working Families Party, Independent Party) |
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| District 36 |
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Nick Simmons (Democratic Party, Independent Party) |
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= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Connecticut
General election race ratings
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in general elections. This was less than the average of 1.4 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Lisa Seminara |  Republican |
Senate District 8 |
Incumbents defeated in primaries
No incumbents lost in primaries. This was less than the average of 0.4 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.
Retiring incumbents
One incumbent did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] Between 2010 and 2022 the average number of retirements was 4.3. The incumbent was:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Marilyn Moore |  Democratic |
District 22 |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Connecticut. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Connecticut in 2024. Information below was calculated on August 8, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
All 187 seats in the Connecticut General Assembly were up for election in 2024 and there were 17 contested state legislative primaries on August 13, 2024. That amounted to 4.5% of all possible state legislative primaries and was above the state’s average of 15.6 contested primaries from 2010 to 2022.
There were 15 Democratic primaries and two Republican primaries. For Democrats, this was the highest since 2010 and for Republicans, this was below the average of 3.8 retirements between 2010 and 2022.
There were 349 candidates running for state legislature in the primaries, including 192 Democrats and 157 Republicans. For Democrats, this was above the 2010 to 2022 average of 184.9. For Republicans, this was the lowest number since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010. The average number of Republicans running from 2010 to 2022 was 166.1.
There were 176 incumbents running for election, the highest number since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010. Nine incumbents, or about 5.1% of all incumbents, faced primary challengers. The average number of contested incumbents between 2010 and 2022 was 7.1.
Eleven incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024. Among them were seven Democrats and four Republicans.
Connecticut has had a Democratic trifecta since 2011. There have been 14 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas since 1992.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Connecticut State Senate from 2010 to 2024.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Connecticut State Senate elections: 2010 - 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2024 | 36 | 1 (3 percent) | 35 (97 percent) |
| 2022 | 36 | 7 (19 percent) | 29 (81 percent) |
| 2020 | 36 | 1 (3 percent) | 35 (97 percent) |
| 2018 | 36 | 7 (19 percent) | 29 (81 percent) |
| 2016 | 36 | 2 (6 percent) | 34 (94 percent) |
| 2014 | 36 | 6 (17 percent) | 30 (83 percent) |
| 2012 | 36 | 3 (8 percent) | 33 (92 percent) |
| 2010 | 36 | 4 (11 percent) | 32 (89 percent) |
Legislative referrals
- See also: Legislative referral
A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.
As of the 2024 election, either a majority vote in two legislative sessions, or 75% of the vote during one legislative session was required for the Connecticut General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. For an instance where it is a majority vote, that amounted to a minimum of 76 votes in the Connecticut House of Representatives and 19 votes in the Connecticut State Senate, assuming no vacancies. For an instance where 75% of the legislature votes for an amendment, that amounted to a minimum of 114 votes in the Connecticut House of Representatives and 27 votes in the Connecticut State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
At the time of the 2024 election, Democrats held a 24-12 majority in the Senate and a 98-53 majority in the House. For one legislative session with 75% of the vote, Democrats would have needed to gain three Senate seats and 16 House seats to be able to pass legislative referrals without Republican votes. For two legislative sessions with a majority vote, Democrats had the minimum number of seats to pass legislative referrals without Republican votes. Democrats would have needed to lose six Senate seats and 23 House seats to lose this ability. For one legislative session, Republicans needed to win 15 Senate seats and 61 House seats to have the same ability. For two legislative sessions, Republicans needed to win seven Senate seats and 24 House seats to gain the ability to put an amendment on the ballot without Democratic support.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 153 of the Connecticut Statutes
Major party candidates
If more than one candidate belonging to the same party is running for the same office, a primary election will be held for that office. If there is only a single candidate seeking a party's nomination for an office, that candidate will advance to the general election without running in the primary election.[3][4][5]
A major party candidate may be nominated to run in the primary election in one of two ways: nomination at a convention or nomination by petition.[3]
By nomination at a convention
To be nominated at a convention, a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the votes cast by convention delegates for the office being sought. After being nominated at a convention, a candidate must file a certificate of nomination with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The certificate must be signed by the candidate, state that the candidate was endorsed by the major party at the convention, and provide the candidate's name as it will appear on the ballot, the candidate's address, and the office being sought by the candidate. The certificate must also be attested to by the chairman, presiding officer, or secretary of the convention.[3][6]
By petition
A candidate who has been nominated by convention cannot be nominated by petition. To be nominated by petition, a major party candidate must collect signatures equal to at least 2 percent of the total number of members enrolled in that major party in the state (5 percent for state legislative candidates) or receive at least 15 percent of convention delegates' votes on any roll-call vote for endorsement. Petition forms to collect those signatures are provided by the Connecticut Secretary of State beginning on the 105th day preceding the primary election for candidates seeking federal or state executive office. Candidates seeking office in the Connecticut State Legislature can retrieve petition forms beginning on the 77th day preceding the primary election.[3]
Petitions must be filed with the registrar of voters in each town in which signatures were collected no later than the 63 days preceding the primary. The registrar of voters must provide a receipt of the petition to the candidate, and the candidate must file a copy of that receipt with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The registrar of voters must then certify the names on the petition and file it with the Connecticut Secretary of State within seven days.[3][7]
Minor party candidates
A minor party candidate whose party has not yet attained qualified status must be nominated by petition. A minor party petition candidate affiliates with his or her party on an "Application for Reservation of Party Designation and Formation of Party Designation Committee." This form must be filed with the Connecticut Secretary of State. On this application, the candidate must indicate a party, whose name includes no more than three words (or no more than 25 letters), and must provide signatures from 25 registered voters in the state. The candidate must also provide the names of two individuals who will be responsible for filing a statement of endorsement qualifying the candidate to run under the party name specified. Candidates for the same minor party for state offices may be included on the same petition. Candidates for all other offices must file separate petitions.[8][9][10]
A minor party candidate whose party has attained qualified status can be nominated without a petition. The presiding officer of the committee or meeting in charge of deciding on nominations is required to certify and file a list of the minor party’s nominees with the Connecticut Secretary of State no later than 62 days prior to the election in which the candidates will be running. The list of nominees must include the following information:[11][12]
- the names of the candidates as they will appear on the ballot
- the signature of each candidate
- the address of each candidate
- the title and office sought by each candidate
Petition candidates
An unaffiliated candidate can petition for ballot access. To do this, the candidate must first file an application for the petition with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The application must include the name of the candidate and a statement signed by the candidate affirming that he or she has consented to place his or her name on the petition. The candidate may then circulate the petition. The candidate must collect signatures from registered, eligible voters equal to 1 percent of the votes cast at the most recent election for the office being sought by the candidate, or 7,500 signatures, whichever is less.[8][13][14]
Once completed, the petition may be filed with either the Connecticut Secretary of State or the town clerk where the candidate resides. If the petition is filed with the town clerk, the town clerk must submit it to the Connecticut Secretary of State within two weeks of receiving it.[8][15]
Write-in candidates
A write-in candidate may only run in the general election. To do so, he or she must register with the Connecticut Secretary of State no earlier than 90 days but no later than 14 days before the general election. The registration must include the candidate's name and address, the office being sought, and a statement of consent to be a candidate. A write-in candidate cannot designate an affiliation with a political party, and no candidate who was nominated by a major or minor party or by petition may run as a write-in candidate.[16][17]
Qualifications
Article III, Section 3 of the Connecticut Constitution states: The senate shall consist of not less than thirty and not more than fifty members, each of whom shall be an elector residing in the senatorial district from which he is elected. Each senatorial district shall be contiguous as to territory and shall elect no more than one senator.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[18] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $40,000/year | No per diem is paid. |
When sworn in
Connecticut legislators assume office the Wednesday following the first Monday of January after their election.[19]
Connecticut political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Connecticut Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | I | I | I | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in Connecticut
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Connecticut, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
59.3
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1,080,831 | 7 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
39.2
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714,717 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1
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20,230 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.4
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7,538 | 0 | |
 
| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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255 | 0 | |
 
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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219 | 0 | |
 
| Jade Simmons/Claudeliah Roze (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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22 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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13 | 0 | |
| Shawn W. Howard/Alyssa Howard (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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12 | 0 | |
 
| Mark Charles/Adrian Wallace (Independent) |
0.0
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11 | 0 | |
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| Kasey Wells/Rachel Wells (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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6 | 0 | |
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| Mary Ruth Caro Simmons/Sherrie Dow (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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2 | 0 | |
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| Karynn Weinstein/David Weinstein (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
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1 | 0 | |
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Total votes: 1,823,857 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Connecticut, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
54.6% | 897,572 | 7 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 40.9% | 673,215 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 3% | 48,676 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.4% | 22,841 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 2,616 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,644,920 | 7 | |||
| Election results via: Connecticut Secretary of State | |||||
Connecticut presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 16 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
| Connecticut | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-400," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-415," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-416," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-388," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-404c," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Connecticut Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions: Nominating Petitions," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453u," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453c," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-452," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-451," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453b," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453d," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453n," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part I, Section 9-377," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part I, Section 9-373a," accessed March 6, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Constitution, "Article Three, Section 10," accessed November 1, 2021
