Proposal Could Put City Into New Congressional District

Congressional District boundaries must be redrawn every 10 years, to reflect changes in the distribution of the U.S. population. In the center of the state, Middletown is at the edge of 4 different U.S. Congressional districts, and even small changes in district boundaries could put the City into a new one, leading to a change in our representation in Washington.

In Connecticut, a bipartisan committee was tasked with redistricting. It was able to reach consensus on the State Senate and Legislature District boundaries, but was unable to reach any agreement on the U.S. Congressional Districts. If it does not reach agreement by December 21st, the courts may be forced to draw district boundaries.

In the current map, drawn up in 2001, Middletown is primarily in the 3rd district, which stretches to New Haven and is represented by Rosa DeLauro. A small portion of Middletown, along Newfield Street, is in the 1st district, represented by John Larson. As a matter of courtesy, and to provide consistency for the City, DeLauro has been the primary representative of our interests in Washington.

According to CT News Junkie, Republicans on the redistricting committee have proposed a map which would remove Middletown from the 3rd District. The Republican-proposed map would move most of Middletown into the 1st District, with a small part in the 2nd District, currently represented by Joe Courtney.

CT News Junkie reports that the Democrats have proposed very minor changes in the existing map, their map would leave Middletown's Congressional representation unchanged.