Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Democratic Sweep


Democrats prevailed in all races in Middletown yesterday, reflecting the mood of the nation. The vote totals for the Middletown portion of each district were more sharply divided than the district as a whole, reflecting the Democratic strength in our city.

U.S. President. Barack Obama won election as the next United States president, winning 70% of the votes in Middletown.

1st U.S. Congressional District. John Larson won reelection by a margin of 68% in his race against Visconti and Fournier. In Middletown, Larson carried 75% of the vote.

3rd U.S. Congressional District. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro won by a margin of 77% in her race against Bo Itshaky and Ralph Ferrucci. DeLauro campaigned several times in Middletown, appearing on election day to campaign in the 4th and 5th District. She got 79% of the votes in Middletown.

9th State Senator District. Senator Paul Doyle headed off a strong challenge from Ralph Capenera. Doyle won 67% of the votes in Middletown, more than the 58% he won in the district as a whole. Voters were apparently not persuaded by Capenera's vow to push for a state cap on local property taxes or his attacks on Doyle's character.

13th State Senator District. Senator Thomas Gaffey trounced challenger Tim Lenox. Gaffey won 76% of the votes in Middletown, more than the 68% overall support he garnered.

32nd State Legislative District. Representative Jim O'Rourke won 75% of the votes in Middletown, and 67% overall in his district, defeating challenger Adamsons.

33rd State Legislative District. Representative Joe Serra won a 9th term in office on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Catherine Johnson, 67% to 33%. Serra won all of the districts. Johnson came closest to victory in the Westfield area, winning 45% of the vote in District 5. Serra's margin of victory was virtually identical to his margin in 2006, when he defeated Republican Ryan Kennedy, and his margin in 2004, when he defeated Republican David Bauer.

34th State Legislative District. Congresswoman Gail Hamm won re-election, defeating David Bauer with 59% of the vote in the district, and 68% in Middletown.

100th State Legislative District. In a surprise upset, Democratic challenger Matt Lesser unseated Congressman Ray Kalinowski, winning 51% of the votes in the district. His victory was made possible only by virtue of an overwhelming 67% mandate in the Middletown districts, which compensated for losing margins in Middlefield and Durham.

The statewide referendum question on a constitutional convention was soundly defeated in Middletown as well as the rest of the state.

The local bond referendum to support water and sewer improvements was passed.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you Middletown Eye. I am so glad I found out about this informational source. I spent 20 minutes scrolling the the Courant's website and I could only get info on the national election. I was very sad to read some of your results, but was so impressed that you had it!

Local District and State representatives have, (but should have much more), control over our concerns. Thank you for providing the information so fast!