Connecticut state legislative special elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 30 (by mail), or Nov. 6 (in-person)
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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In 2018, three special elections were called to fill vacant seats in the Connecticut General Assembly. Click here to read more about the special elections.
House special elections called:
- District 15: January 9
- District 120: February 27
- District 4: June 4
How vacancies are filled in Connecticut
If there is a vacancy in the Connecticut General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happens. All special elections must be held no later than 46 days after a governor's declaration. If the vacancy occurs between the 125th day and the 49th day before the day of the regular election, the special election will be held on the same day as the general election. If a vacancy occurs after the 49th day before the general election but before the Wednesday following the first Monday of January of the next-succeeding year, the governor shall not call a special election unless the vacant position is that of a member-elect.[1]
See sources: Connecticut Gen. Stat. § 9-215
About the legislature
The Connecticut General Assembly is Connecticut's state legislature. It consists of the lower House of Representatives and the upper State Senate. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
| Connecticut State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 21 | 18[2] | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 18 | |
| Total | 36 | 36 | |
| Connecticut House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 86 | 79 | |
| Republican Party | 64 | 72 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 151 | 151 | |
Special elections
Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:
January 9, 2018
| ☑ Connecticut House of Representatives District 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for the position of Connecticut House of Representatives District 15 was held on January 9, 2018.[3] The seat became vacant after David Baram (D) was elected as the 3rd District Probate Court judge on November 7, 2017. Bobby Gibson (D) and Joseph Suggs (D) faced off in the special election. Gibson was endorsed by the state party. Suggs made the ballot as a petitioning candidate.[4] Gibson won the election.[5] General electionSpecial general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 15Incumbent Bobby Gibson won election in the special general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 15 on January 9, 2018.
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February 27, 2018
| ☑ Connecticut House of Representatives District 120 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for the position of Connecticut House of Representatives District 120 was held on February 27, 2018.[6] The Democratic and Republican town committees nominated their chosen candidates.[7] Candidates could also get on the ballot by submitting petitions by January 24, 2018.[8] The seat became vacant due to the resignation of Laura Hoydick (R), who left office after she was sworn into office as mayor of Stratford.[9] The Democratic Town Committee nominated Philip Young to run in the race, and the Republican Town Committee nominated Bill Cabral.[7][10] Young won the election.[11] General electionSpecial general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 120Philip Young defeated Bill Cabral in the special general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 120 on February 27, 2018.
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June 4, 2018
| ☑ Connecticut House of Representatives District 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for the position of Connecticut House of Representatives District 4 was held on June 4, 2018. The Democratic Town Committee nominated Julio Concepcion to run in the race, and the Republican Town Committee nominated Bryan Nelson. Jessica Inacio (D) qualified to be on the ballot by submitting petitions.[12][13] Concepcion won the election.[14] The seat became vacant due to the resignation of Angel Arce (D), who resigned effective April 9, 2018, due to allegations that he sent inappropriate Facebook messages to a 16-year-old girl.[12] General electionSpecial general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 4Incumbent Julio Concepcion defeated Jessica Inacio and Bryan Nelson in the special general election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 4 on June 4, 2018.
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Special elections throughout the country
In 2018, 99 state legislative special elections were held in 26 states. Between 2011 and 2017, an average of 74 special elections took place each year.
Breakdown of 2018 special elections
In 2018, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:
- 58 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 16 due to a retirement
- 10 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
- 7 due to a resignation related to allegations of sexual misconduct
- 5 due to the death of the incumbent
- 2 due to a resignation to take a private sector job
- 1 due to an election being rerun
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 42 Democratic seats
- 57 Republican seats
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2018. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2016, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of three seats across the country. In 2017, Democrats had a net gain of 11 seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.
| Partisan Change from Special Elections (2018) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
| Democratic Party | 42 | 50 | |
| Republican Party | 57 | 49 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | 99 | |
Democrats gained 11 seats in 2017 special elections and eight seats in 2018 special elections. The table below details the results of special elections held in 2017 and 2018 cumulatively.
| Partisan Change from Special Elections (2017-2018) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
| Democratic Party | 87 | 106 | |
| Republican Party | 110 | 91 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 197 | 197 | |
Flipped seats
In 2018, 16 seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections. Twelve seats flipped from Republican control to Democratic control. Four seats flipped from Democratic control to Republican control.
In New York, a Democratic candidate running on the Republican ticket won election to Assembly District 142 on April 24. The previous incumbent in that district was a Democrat. Due to the winning candidate's party affiliation, Assembly District 142 was not added to the list of flipped seats in 2018.
Seats flipped from R to D
- Wisconsin State Senate District 10 (January 16)
- Missouri House of Representatives District 97 (February 6)
- Florida House of Representatives District 72 (February 13)
- Kentucky House of Representatives District 49 (February 20)
- New Hampshire House of Representatives District Belknap 3 (February 27)
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 120 (February 27)
- New York State Assembly District 10 (April 24)
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 178 (May 15)
- Missouri State Senate District 17 (June 5)
- Wisconsin State Senate District 1 (June 12)
- South Carolina State Senate District 20 (November 6)
- Texas House of Representatives District 52 (November 6)
Seats flipped from D to R
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 48 (May 15)
- Texas State Senate District 19 (September 18)
- Louisiana House of Representatives District 10 (November 6)[15]
- Louisiana House of Representatives District 33 (November 6)
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- Connecticut State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Connecticut General Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 9-215(a), Connecticut General Statutes)
- ↑ Tie-breaking votes are cast by the lieutenant governor.
- ↑ The Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy, "Gov. Malloy Sets January 9 Special Election for State House Seat in Bloomfield and Windsor," November 24, 2017
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Special Election for State Representative Jan. 9," December 7, 2017
- ↑ The Connecticut Mirror, "Gibson defeats Suggs in special House election," January 9, 2018
- ↑ CT Post, "Philips takes command of Stratford Democrats," January 14, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 CT Post, "Stratford: DTC to settle on 120th candidate," January 17, 2018
- ↑ CT Post, "Young, Cabral square off in 120th," January 22, 2018
- ↑ CT Post, "Stratford: Mayor Hoydick resigns 120th House seat," December 29, 2017
- ↑ Stratford Star, "Young wins Democratic nod for state rep seat," January 18, 2018
- ↑ Connecticut Post, "Democrat Phil Young scores upset in 120th, a GOP stronghold," February 27, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 CT Post, "June special election set to replace state rep accused of inappropriate messages," May 1, 2018
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Three Emerge To Run For Embattled Hartford State Representative's Seat," May 1, 2018
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Concepcion Wins Special Election For Embattled State Representative's Seat," June 4, 2018
- ↑ The general election was cancelled after Wayne McMahen (R) was the only candidate to file for election.
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