Connecticut delegation still awaiting its party- crashers

There was never going to be much drama in Connecticut’s presidential primary, but whatever interest there might have been became another casualty of the coronavirus when it was delayed from April to August. It seems like about 10 years ago that Joe Biden sewed up the Democratic nomination, which came right around the time people began familiarizing themselves with terms like social distancing. Not leaving your living room for four months will do that.

The Aug. 11 primary does have some interesting choices for state Legislature. Mostly this year is likely to be about Republicans limiting damage after a disastrous 2018, which could be difficult if national polling holds. What’s more interesting is what the primary will not feature — any challengers to Connecticut’s all- Democratic delegation.

We can leave 5th District Rep. Jahana Hayes out of this discussion, as she has served only one term after winning an open seat in 2018. But the other four members of Congress in Connecticut have become virtual shoe- ins every two years, including in seats that not long ago were considered toss- ups.

Fourth District Rep. Jim Himes hasn’t been seriously challenged in a decade, and he represents a seat Republicans held for decades before he won in 2008. That was the last time anyone has seen a member of the opposing party in the delegation, which is notable only because for most of the previous decade that party held three of the five seats.

Today, local and congressional elections are much more closely tied to presidential preference than they once were, and Connecticut is a safely blue state. That means all five members of Congress, as well as both senators, have gone mostly unchallenged for a political eternity.

What this could lead to — but hasn’t in Connecticut — is an environment rife for primary opposition. If the seats are safely Democratic anyway, why not try to field the furthest- left candidate available, or at least inject some new life into a staid delegation? The New York Times in 2018 identified 20 U. S. representatives who had gone at least a decade without an intraparty challenge, and three were from Connecticut.

The example that could be followed is New York City, where most of its 13 congressional seats outside of Staten Island are also considered safely Democratic, as well as many of its closest- in suburban districts. That has led to a string in the past two cycles of primary challenges to members of Congress in good standing like Joe Crowley and Eliot Engel, who are basically the New York equivalents of John Larson and Joe Courtney, who have long represented Connecticut’s 1st and 2nd Districts, respectively. Third District Rep. Rosa DeLauro, too, has gone years without an anxious Election Night

But there’s been no Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez or Jamaal Bowman, who waged successful primaries against Crowley and Engel, to take on Connecticut’s fixtures. And with little meaningful Republican opposition at that level, Connecticut’s members are able to coast.

It’s not clear why, as there is never a shortage of ambitious Democrats in a place like Connecticut. But the nature of the districts and simple inertia likely explains it as much as anything. Building a coalition for a longshot candidacy is a difficult task in a district that covers dozens of small towns and a few midsize cities. It’s a small state, but with local control it can feel like there’s not much linking together neighboring towns and cities, which makes building up a name more difficult. It’s not easy in a big city like New York, either, but it helps if there’s at least some cohesiveness to the district.

Connecticut also has an older, whiter population than New York City, which works against younger candidates of color who could build excitement elsewhere. It may also be that the state’s voters are pretty well satisfied with their representatives and don’t see a need to change much.

It’s not crazy to think Connecticut Democrats could rue the missed opportunity to inject some new blood into the delegation. Safe districts don’t stay that way, and outlying parts of the state are reddening along with the rest of rural America. The current Democratic advantage nationwide is sure to swing the other way.

Once the present crop of legislators starts to retire, it could be a different look for Connecticut’s congressional lineup.