Connecticut Election 2016 Results: Hillary Clinton, Blumenthal Declared Winners of State

HARTFORD, CT — Hillary Clinton was declared the winner over Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein in Connecticut on Election Night, according to media reports, and will receive the state’s seven electoral college votes.

Polls closed at 8 p.m., and NBC News quickly projected Hillary Clinton would win Connecticut. At 9:15 p.m. ABC News also called Connecticut for Clinton but the AP waited until 9:30 p.m. before declaring Clinton the winner in Connecticut.

As of 11:30 p.m. Clinton has 49 percent of the vote compared to Trump's 46 percent of the vote, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Connecticut wasn’t a truly contested state though Trump made several appearances in the state this summer as he was seeking to wrap up his party’s nomination. He held public rallies in Hartford, Bridgeport and Waterbury. Clinton also made a few appearances including public rallies in Bridgeport and New Haven.

Trump won the Republican primary in Connecticut with more than 123,000 votes. The next closest candidate was Ohio Gov. John Kasich with more than 60,000.

The Democratic primary was much closer with Clinton getting slightly more than 170,000 votes to Sen. Bernie Sander’s 152,000.

State Senate May Be Tied 18-18

There is a strong possibility that the Connecticut State Senate will be evenly split among Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats held the chamber 21-15, but Republicans won several key races, according to the Hartford Courant. Groton's Heather Somers and Ansonia's George Logan victories helped Republicans.

Senate, Congressional Races Called

The Associated Press predicts that U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal will win another term. The call came in moments after voting closed in Connecticut.

Blumenthal was challenged by Republican Dan Carter. It will be Blumenthal's second term as a U.S. senator.

Carter conceded the race around 8:45 p.m.

Democrat incumbents Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Joe Courtney, Elizabeth Esty and Jim Himes also won re-election. Republican Clay Cope conceded the race late Tuesday night to Esty, according to the Hartford Courant.

Blumenthal currently is the ranking Democratic member of the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and is also a committee member of the judiciary, armed services and commerce, science and transportation committees.

Turnout in Connecticut on Election Day was enormous thus far with numerous long lines being reported throughout the state, and several issues at the polls have been reported, including a small fire at one polling place.

As of late afternoon, the Secretary of State's Office says the statewide average for turnout was 50 percent, but that doesn't include reports from 50 towns, including some of Connecticut's largest cities, according to Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill.

Merrill said, “This election has generated a lot of excitement and passion, which is what we’re seeing at the polls. It is still too early to tell what the final turnout numbers will be, however, it does look like they may be quite high.”

Presidential Race: Get the Results as They Come In

There haven't been any major calamities at the polls thus far in Connecticut, but there have been several glitches.

A number of hopeful New Haven voters were upset when they learned they had to be registered by 8 p.m. in order to vote. Already registered voters can vote after 8 p.m. so long as they are in line before the clock strikes 8. The same doesn't apply for same-day registrants.

The biggest issue occurred when a person was stuck by a car in Glastonbury just 13 minutes after a local polling place opened for voting, police said. Then in Westport a small fire temporarily disrupted voting there.

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There have also been ballot mix-ups, long lines and even some people were turned away due to registration issues. Polls remain open until 8 p.m. tonight.

(For live election results in your local Connecticut community tonight and for statewide results sign up for free real-time news alert here).

• How to Get Notified Instantly From Patch With Presidential Election Results
• For the latest national coverage of the presidential election see: Election 2016: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump Results Will Make Historic Winner

If you haven't voted yet, and you still have a few hours to do so, here's some quick and hopefully helpful information for you.

• To find a sample ballot for your community, click here.

And here is a list of all of the candidates who will appear on a Connecticut ballot. Also if you're unsure where to vote on Election Day, simply click this link and enter in your address.

Small Fire, Wrong Ballots, Voters Turned Away, and Long Lines

There have already been multiple voting issues across the state. Hartford had issues with wrong ballots being sent to a polling place, a small fire temporarily disrupted voting in Westport and a person was struck by a car near a polling place in Glastonbury. Some Naugatuck residents who registered to vote at the DMV or AAA were told they weren't registered and were sent to do same-day registration.

Some New Haven voters had to wait up to an hour to cast their ballots in the morning as lines stretched down multiple streets.

• Below are snapshots of the six U.S. legislative races in Connecticut, with brief profiles of each candidate. (Scroll below for those details).

Some people were waiting up to an hour to vote at some New Haven polling locations, according to the New Haven Independent.

At least one location in Hartford is experiencing issues with the wrong ballots. Rawson School received the wrong ballots and had been using them for several hours Tuesday. Hartford Police are assisting in escorting the correct ballots to the school.

Hartford experienced numerous voting issues in the 2014 election. Voting lists weren't delivered to multiple locations by 6 a.m. and a court ordered two locations to stay open an extra half an hour.

A woman in New Britain claimed that a Spanish-speaking voter was almost turned away even after she showed her DMV-issued license, according to Fox 61. The woman said she argued with poll moderators who eventually let the woman vote. The Secretary of the State office sent officials to investigate.

In Naugatuck, some residents were turned away after registering via AAA or DMV and there was no record of it at the polls, NBC Connecticut reports. Those impacted residents were sent to Town Hall for same-day registration.

A small fire outside of the Greens Farms polling site in Westport Tuesday morning, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette, temporarily disrupted voting, according to Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kronick. Voters and election staff were briefly evacuated, but it was not a serious disruption.

Long Lines Dominate

Moderators in Vernon said the lines were out the doors and onto the sidewalks at about 5:40 a.m., 20 minutes before the polls opened on Tuesday morning. By 6:30 a.m. at Vernon Center Middle School, 152 residents had cast ballots.

U.S. Rep Joseph Courtney was one of them. When asked if it were obvious who he voted for, the Democrat running for a sixth term in Congress said it was. Courtney said he does not remember a more “exhausting” campaign season, but hopes the grind translates into more people getting into the process.

“I think everyone in America is ready for the election to be over,” Courtney told Patch. “By tonight and into tomorrow, there will be some happy people and some very upset people in this country. We have to take what has happened this year and make it work for good change in Congress.”

As Courtney was walking out of the polling place, a woman came up to him and implored him to “keep Obama care.”

Courtney spent some time with Daniel Champagne, Vernon’s Republican mayor, talking local issues. A woman walking toward the voting entrance saw Champagne’s Trump button and gave it a fist pump.

“I’m a Latina and I voted for Trump,” Vernon resident Marlene Michaud said. “I’m for building the wall. Yes. I’m Latina, but we have to do something about the criminals coming here and creating the perception that we might be lazy and stealing and selling drugs. I live in America and want to keep my reputation as a hard-working American.”

At the Tolland Recreation Center, Robin Montstream was wearing a Hillary Clinton button after voting with her granddaughter, Aria. She said she has been so into the Clinton campaign that she drove to New Hampshire for a rally on Monday and then returned to Tolland to vote Tuesday.

“If we want change, we have to be involved,” she said.

As of 9:11 a.m., 1,064 has voted at Rockville High School, one of four polling places in Vernon.

That was up from 711 at 8:10 a.m.

At 8:24 a.m. at the Tolland Recreation Center, one of two polling places in town, the count was 1,017.

To vote, you must be registered in the state; you must be a U.S. Citizen and live at a Connecticut address; and you must be 18 years old on Election Day. Connecticut does have Election Day registration. There is a hard cut-off time of 8 p.m. for people who are doing Election Day registration.

"...if you are waiting until November 8 to register to vote, please get to the Election Day registration site as early as possible," said Merrill. "It is the only way you will be guaranteed an opportunity to vote."

At the polls, you must show one of the following, a Social Security Card, or a pre-printed form of identification that shows your name and address, or name and signature, or name and photograph. For additional information on Connecticut voter identification requirements, click here.

Profiles on all of Connecticut's state-wide candidates

U.S. Senate Race:

The race isn’t expected to be as close as the 2010 senate race between Blumenthal and WWE magnate Linda McMahon, who reportedly spent about $100 million of her own money against Blumenthal and later Sen. Chris Murphy.

Blumenthal leads Carter by a margin of 54 to 33 percent,according to a September Emerson College poll. Nearly six out of 10 likely voters view Blumenthal favorably. Additionally as of his October campaign filing with the Federal Election Commission, Blumenthal is crushing Carter in fundraising, with more than $4.7 million compared to about $70,000 for Carter.

One of Carter’s main issues is name recognition with 30 percent of those polled saying they have never heard of him and 42 percent have an undecided opinion.
Blumenthal beat McMahon by a margin of 55 to 43 percent.

Blumenthal Profile
Dick Blumenthal, 70, is a Greenwich resident who served as Connecticut’s Attorney General for 20 years from 1991 to 2011, at which time he was elected to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Chris Dodd.

He has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for consumer rights, gun control, law enforcement and labor protections, and as such he is one of Connecticut’s most-recognizable political leaders.

“His aggressive law enforcement for consumer protection, environmental stewardship, labor rights, and personal privacy has helped reshape the role of state attorneys general nationwide, and resulted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for Connecticut taxpayers and consumers each year,” states Blumenthal’s official biography.

Prior to becoming Attorney General, Blumenthal was a U.S. Attorney for Connecticut from 1977 to 1981, and served in the state House from 1984 to 1987, and the state Senate from 1987 to 1990.

In addition to fighting to end the plague of gun violence, he also has made rail safety a signature priority.

He also continues to fight for consumers, whether against Mylan’s price hikes for EpiPens, or Wells Fargo’s predatory banking practices.

Carter Profile

Dan Carter served in the United States Air Force from 1989 to 1999 where he served in Operation Desert Storm and relief efforts in Bosnia Herzegovina. He attained the rank of major and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

He ran and won the State House 2nd district race in 2010 and has served a total of three terms in the house.

His district covers Bethel, Danbury, Newtown and Redding. He is the Republican leader of the General law Committee and also serves on the Education, Finance Revenue and Bonding committees.

Carter has criticized Blumenthal as an out-of-touch wealthy politician who subscribes to many of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s policies.

He supports a balanced federal budget and a predictable tax code, according to his campaign website. He advocates for the repeal of Obamacare due to high deductibles and other reasons, but wants to keep certain measures such as coverage of pre-existing conditions and keeping children on their parent’s health insurance until age 26.

Carter was the only Newtown-area legislator to vote against Connecticut’s gun control bill that was passed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He said the bill was “overreaching.”
Libertarian Richard Lion
Green Party Candidate Jeffrey Russell

U.S. House Races:
1st District:

Manchester businessman Matthew Corey is challenging nine-term incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson for the state’s First Congressional District for the third time.

Larson’s campaign had more than $546,000 on hand as of his October filing with the FEC while Corey’s has a little more than $6,000.

Larson Profile

U.S. Rep John Larson is in his ninth term. He sits on the House Ways and Means Committee—including the Subcommittees on Select Revenue Measures and Social Security. Larson was one of the congressmen that helped orchestrate a sit-in in the U.S. House over gun control legislation.

Prior to becoming a congressman Larson owned Larson & Lysik insurance company, was a history teacher and football coach at George J. Penney High School. He later became an East Hartford Board of Education and Town Council member and also served 12 years in the state senate.

He continues to live in East Hartford with his wife, Leslie. They have three children: Carolyn, Laura, and Raymond.

Corey Profile
Corey served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 1987. He then worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a driver and launched high-rise window cleaning company Advanced Services International. He also opened McKinnon’s Irish Pub in downtown Hartford during 2002.

Corey supports lowering the corporate tax in order to bring money stored overseas back to the United States and argues that the national debt has become a drain on economic progress, according to his campaign site.

He is a supporter of the 2nd amendment and vows to vote against any bill that would restrict the right to keep and bear arms.

Corey also wants the government to stop borrowing from the Social Security trust fund.

On Obamacare he supports using the exchanges already set up, but to use them in a free market system where insurance customers can buy policies across state lines. He would also abolish the individual and employer mandates.

2nd District:

U.S. Rep Joe Courtney has served in Congress for 10 years. He is being challenged by Republican Daria Novak.

Courtney’s campaign had more than $949,000 cash on hand as of his October filing with the FEC while Novak had $1,795.

Courtney will also defend his seat from Green Party candidate Jonathan Pelto and Libertarian Party candidate Daniel Reale.

Courtney Profile

Courtney prides himself on helping to secure funds for Electric Boat to build submarines, according to his biography. The company plans to hire 4,000 new workers over the next decade. The company now builds two submarines a year and is building at a rate that hasn’t happened since the 1980’s.

He also helped secure more than $80 million for new construction at the submarine base in New London.
On several occasions he has partnered with congressmen from across the aisle.

Courtney served in the 56th House District in the Connecticut General Assembly for four terms prior to becoming a congressman. He lives in Vernon with his wife, Audrey, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and their two children, Robert and Elizabeth.

Novak Profile
Novak is currently an executive consultant and former president of ERUdyne LLC, an international cross-cultural business management and homeland security training consulting firm.

She Previously she was a Ronald Reagan appointee in the State Department from 1979 to 1989 and served as a senior coordinate for the Secretary of State’s 300-member Chinda Task Force during the Tiananmen Square crisis.

Among her top priorities are: pushing for across-the-board tax cuts, reducing federal spending, modernizing the military and ensure forces aren’t committed overseas unless it’s for national security interests.

Pelto Profile
Pelto has been active in Connecticut politics for nearly 40 years and served five terms in the state House of Representatives starting in 1984, according to his biography. He eventually rose to the level of deputy majority leader.

He petitioned to get on the ballot during the 2014 gubernatorial election, but didn’t get enough signatures to qualify. Pelto now runs a blog called Wait? What?

Reale Profile
Reale, the Libertarian candidate is running on a traditional Libertarian platform that encourages smaller government, removing the federal government from the education business and limiting military use to protect the United States. He is also a strong supporter of second amendment rights.

He has offered a detailed proposal for health care reform, including lifting the ban on imported medicine, allowing policies to be written without mandated coverage for things such as fertility and allowing consumers to buy solely catastrophic coverage.

3rd District:
Thirteen-term incumbent Democrat Rosa DeLauro is seeking re-election in the Third Congressional District against Republican Angel Cadena, a Shelton truck driver.

If history is any indication, Cadena will have his work cut out for him in defeating DeLauro. According to the Hartford Courant, she has averaged 72 percent of the votein each of her last five campaigns.

DeLauro Profile

Having first been elected to the U.S. House in 1990, Rosa DeLauro has risen within the ranks to become co-chair of the Steering and Policy Committee in the Democratic Leadership.

She is also the ranking member on the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and she used that influence when calling for FDA action in the listeria outbreak earlier this year.

Among her political priorities is fighting for the Middle Class and improved jobs and pay for Connecticut residents. She is from New Haven, and also worked as Chief of Staff for former Senator Chris Dodd.

DeLauro is married to Stanley Greenberg, President of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a public issues research firm, and they have three grown children.

Cadena Profile
Republican Angel Cadena has not held political office but unsuccessfully ran for state comptroller in 2014.

He wants to see the nation’s immigration laws strengthened, and 2nd Amendment rights protected. And he is a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Cadena is a Marine Corps veteran, who was born in Chicago. He currently lives in Shelton and is employed as a truck driver. He has three children.

4th District:
Democratic incumbent Jim Himes, from Cos Cob, is seeking re-election, which would be his fifth term. He defeated longtime Republican Congressman Chris Shays for the Congressional seat in 2008, and will face three-term Republican state Rep. John Shaban, an attorney who lives with his family in Redding.

The task for Shaban will not be an easy one, because Himes has been a formidable force on Election Day, scoring relatively easy victories with the district's lower Fairfield County constituency.

Himes Profile

Jim Himes is is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, serves as the ranking member of the NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and is Vice-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition.

With a background in finance at Goldman Sachs, Himes has made financial regulatory matters a central focus.

Additionally, like the entire Connecticut Congressional Delegation, he has made the fight to end gun violence one of his key priorities.
He and his wife have two daughters.

Shaban profile
In the State Assembly, John Shaban is the ranking member of the Environment Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

In a post on his campaign Facebook page, Shaban highlights his fiscal conservatism. But besides making finances and taxes central issues, Shaban also intends to try to sell voters on what he believes is Himes' inactivity while in Congress.

Shaban is also an Executive Advisory Board member of the Needs Clearing House, and is married to a teacher. He and his wife have three sons.

5th District:
Elizabeth Esty, an incumbent Democrat from Cheshire, is seeking her third term, and is challenged by Sherman Republican First Selectman Clay Cope.

Esty is a former State Representative who won the seat that Chris Murphy held before he became a Senator.
Cope reportedly trails Esty in fundraising by a large margin, writes the Danbury News-Times.

Esty Profile

Esty served two terms as a Democrat on the Cheshire Town Council and one term as a state representative in the 103rd district.

She has made the fight against opioid addiction one of her central priorities, and was recently appointed to federal Addiction Committee.

Her district includes Sandy Hook, the site of the tragic mass shooting, and like the rest of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, supporting gun control issues are also a top priority.

She is married to former state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty, and the two have three children.

Cope Profile

Cope has been Sherman’s First Selectman since 2011, and has made news as a gay Republican candidate for Congress.

He is a fiscal conservative who is helping Sherman climb out of debt, and he can count Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton as one of his staunchest supporters.

Balancing the federal budget while helping the economy grow are central themes in his candidacy, and he also supports improving the nation’s immigration system and keeping America’s military strong.

— By RICH SCINTO (Patch Staff), ALFRED BRANCH (Patch Staff) and Chris Dehnel