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United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2022

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2024
2018
U.S. Senate, Connecticut
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 7, 2022
Primary: August 9, 2022
General: November 8, 2022
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Connecticut
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
See also
U.S. Senate, Connecticut
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th
Connecticut elections, 2022
U.S. Congress elections, 2022
U.S. Senate elections, 2022
U.S. House elections, 2022

Voters in Connecticut elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for August 9, 2022. The filing deadline was June 7, 2022.

The election filled the Class III Senate seat held by Richard Blumenthal (D), who first took office in 2011. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in 2022. Democrats retained their majority and gained one net seat, with the Senate's post-election partisan balance at 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.

Thirty-five of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election.[1] At the time of the election, Democrats had an effective majority, with the chamber split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) having the tie-breaking vote.[2] Of the seats up for election in 2022, Democrats held 14 and Republicans held 21.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Connecticut

Incumbent Richard Blumenthal defeated Leora Levy, John Anderson, and Shabadjot Bharara in the general election for U.S. Senate Connecticut on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal (D / Working Families Party)
 
57.5
 
723,864
Image of Leora Levy
Leora Levy (R)
 
42.5
 
535,943
Image of John Anderson
John Anderson (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
68
Shabadjot Bharara (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
12

Total votes: 1,259,887
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Richard Blumenthal advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut

Leora Levy defeated Themis Klarides and Peter Lumaj in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Leora Levy
Leora Levy
 
50.6
 
46,943
Image of Themis Klarides
Themis Klarides
 
40.0
 
37,072
Image of Peter Lumaj
Peter Lumaj
 
9.4
 
8,703

Total votes: 92,718
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Voting information

See also: Voting in Connecticut

Election information in Connecticut: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 1, 2022
  • By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 1, 2022
  • Online: Nov. 1, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

No

What were the early voting start and end dates?

N/A to N/A

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A


Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JohnAnderson3.jpg

John Anderson (Independent)

Our nation needs to work concertedly toward balanced budgets through increasing revenue and reducing spending.

Our nation needs to limit greenhouse gas emissions and encourage expansion of nuclear and wind electricity production.

Our nation needs to champion the freedoms of those who have been systematically repressed and marginalized and recognize the rights of unborn persons.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JohnAnderson3.jpg

John Anderson (Independent)

As a teacher, I love watching my students succeed. I hope to give them tools and to encourage the habits that allow them to thrive: to search, to question, to synthesize, to contribute. I view government the same way. Its goal is not to wield power and issue top-down demands but to guarantee freedoms and to produce the conditions conducive for the flourishing of people today and future generations: to form and enjoy their family, to be productive, to learn, to better themselves and pursue virtue, and to be fully integrated into the community around them. Everything that bears on these concerns are issues I am passionate about. However, I am particularly interested in working for the those whose chances of flourishing as I have described are most tenuous--members of historically excluded racial and ethnic groups such as Indigenous People and African Americans, people with mental and physical limitations, and the unborn.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JohnAnderson3.jpg

John Anderson (Independent)

The first historical event that I remember was the kidnapping of US embassy staff in Tehran. I was 6.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JohnAnderson3.jpg

John Anderson (Independent)

I find the fact that every state in the U.S. Senate has equal representation remarkable. A senator from Rhode Island has the same standing as one from California.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JohnAnderson3.jpg

John Anderson (Independent)

I believe the filibuster serves a valuable purpose. Some contentious issues should indeed have a 3/5 majority to back them.



Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[3] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[4] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.

U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022
Report Close of books Filing deadline
Year-end 2021 12/31/2021 1/31/2022
April quarterly 3/31/2022 4/15/2022
July quarterly 6/30/2022 7/15/2022
October quarterly 9/30/2022 10/15/2022
Pre-general 10/19/2022 10/27/2022
Post-general 11/28/2022 12/08/2022
Year-end 2022 12/31/2022 1/31/2023


Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Richard Blumenthal Working Families Party, Democratic Party $9,357,459 $11,060,989 $1,249,889 As of December 31, 2022
Themis Klarides Republican Party $1,138,367 $1,138,367 $0 As of December 31, 2022
Leora Levy Republican Party $3,075,950 $3,051,958 $43,773 As of December 31, 2022
Peter Lumaj Republican Party $599,929 $599,929 $0 As of December 31, 2022
John Anderson Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Shabadjot Bharara Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[5]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[6][7][8]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Connecticut, 2022
Race trackerRace ratings
November 8, 2022November 1, 2022October 25, 2022October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Connecticut in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party 2% of enrolled party members N/A 6/7/2022 Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/10/2022 Source

Election history

2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Connecticut

Incumbent Christopher S. Murphy defeated Matthew Corey, Richard Lion, and Jeffery Russell in the general election for U.S. Senate Connecticut on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christopher S. Murphy
Christopher S. Murphy (D)
 
59.5
 
825,579
Image of Matthew Corey
Matthew Corey (R)
 
39.3
 
545,717
Image of Richard Lion
Richard Lion (L)
 
0.6
 
8,838
Image of Jeffery Russell
Jeffery Russell (G)
 
0.5
 
6,618
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
88

Total votes: 1,386,840
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut

Incumbent Christopher S. Murphy advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut on August 14, 2018.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut

Matthew Corey defeated Dominic Rapini in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Connecticut on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Matthew Corey
Matthew Corey
 
76.5
 
99,899
Image of Dominic Rapini
Dominic Rapini
 
23.5
 
30,624

Total votes: 130,523
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Connecticut's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Richard Blumenthal (D) defeated Dan Carter (R), Richard Lion (L), Jeffery David Russell (G), and John Price (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary election in August. Carter defeated August Wolf at the Republican convention. Blumenthal won re-election in the November 8 election.[9][10][11]

U.S. Senate, Connecticut General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Blumenthal Incumbent 63.2% 1,008,714
     Republican Dan Carter 34.6% 552,621
     Libertarian Richard Lion 1.1% 18,190
     Green Jeffery Russell 1% 16,713
     N/A Write-in 0% 38
Total Votes 1,596,276
Source: Connecticut Secretary of State

2012

See also: United States Senate elections in Connecticut, 2012

On November 6, 2012, Chris Murphy won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Linda McMahon (R) and Paul Passarelli (L) in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Connecticut General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Murphy 54.8% 828,761
     Republican Linda McMahon 43.1% 651,089
     Libertarian Paul Passarelli 1.7% 25,045
     N/A Write-ins 0.5% 6,869
Total Votes 1,511,764
Source: U.S. House Clerk "2012 Election Statistics"
U.S. Senate, Connecticut Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngChris Murphy 67.5% 93,634
Susan Bysiewicz 32.5% 45,065
Total Votes 138,699
U.S. Senate, Connecticut Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngLinda McMahon 72.7% 83,747
Christopher Shays 27.3% 31,445
Total Votes 115,192

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Connecticut and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Connecticut, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
Connecticut's 1st John Larson Electiondot.png Democratic D+12
Connecticut's 2nd Joe Courtney Electiondot.png Democratic D+3
Connecticut's 3rd Rosa DeLauro Electiondot.png Democratic D+7
Connecticut's 4th Jim Himes Electiondot.png Democratic D+13
Connecticut's 5th Jahana Hayes Electiondot.png Democratic D+3


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Connecticut[12]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Connecticut's 1st 63.3% 35.2%
Connecticut's 2nd 54.7% 43.3%
Connecticut's 3rd 59.2% 39.5%
Connecticut's 4th 64.8% 33.8%
Connecticut's 5th 54.6% 43.9%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 91.6% of Connecticuters lived in one of the state's six Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 5.1% lived in Litchfield County, the state's one Solid Republican county. Overall, Connecticut was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Connecticut following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Connecticut presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 15 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
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

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Connecticut

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Connecticut.

U.S. Senate election results in Connecticut
Race Winner Runner up
2018 59.5%Democratic Party 39.4%Republican Party
2016 63.2%Democratic Party 34.6%Republican Party
2012 54.8%Democratic Party 43.1%Republican Party
2010 55.1%Democratic Party 43.3%Republican Party
2006 49.7%Grey.png (Independent) 39.7%Democratic Party
Average 56.5 40.0

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Connecticut

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Connecticut.

Gubernatorial election results in Connecticut
Race Winner Runner up
2018 49.4%Democratic Party 46.2%Republican Party
2014 50.7%Democratic Party 48.2%Republican Party
2010 49.5%Democratic Party 49.0%Republican Party
2006 63.2%Republican Party 35.5%Democratic Party
2002 56.1%Republican Party 43.9%Democratic Party
Average 53.8 44.6

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Connecticut's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Connecticut, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 5 7
Republican 0 0 0
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 5 7

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Connecticut's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Connecticut, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Ned Lamont
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Susan Bysiewicz
Secretary of State Democratic Party Mark Kohler
Attorney General Democratic Party William Tong

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Connecticut General Assembly as of November 2022.

Connecticut State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 23
     Republican Party 13
     Vacancies 0
Total 36

Connecticut House of Representatives

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 97
     Republican Party 54
     Vacancies 0
Total 151

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Connecticut was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Connecticut Party Control: 1992-2022
Twelve 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Connecticut and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Connecticut
Connecticut United States
Population 3,574,097 308,745,538
Land area (sq mi) 4,842 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 75.9% 72.5%
Black/African American 10.7% 12.7%
Asian 4.5% 5.5%
Native American 0.3% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0% 0.2%
Other (single race) 5.2% 4.9%
Multiple 3.3% 3.3%
Hispanic/Latino 16.1% 18%
Education
High school graduation rate 90.6% 88%
College graduation rate 39.3% 32.1%
Income
Median household income $78,444 $62,843
Persons below poverty level 9.9% 13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Connecticut 2022 primaries 2022 U.S. Congress elections
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Connecticut congressional delegation
Voting in Connecticut
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External links

Footnotes

  1. The special Senate election in California was for the same seat up for regular election. There were, then, 36 total Senate elections for 35 total seats.
  2. Two independents who caucus with Democrats are included with Democrats in the 50-50 split count.
  3. Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  4. Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  5. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  6. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  7. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  8. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  9. The CT Mirror, "Clay Cope wins landslide in 5th, Daria Novak a squeaker in 2nd," May 9, 2016
  10. The CT Mirror, "CT GOP backs Carter for Senate, denies Wolf primary margin," May 9, 2016
  11. CNN, "Connecticut Senate Results," November 8, 2016
  12. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Jim Himes (D)
District 5
Democratic Party (7)