Nine Lessons From Election Night

The 2018 midterm elections realigned politics around the nation, with Democrats seizing control in the U.S. House and capturing governor’s seats in several Midwestern states. In Connecticut, the results were even more striking: The Connecticut Senate, currently split 18-18, tilted strongly toward the Democrats. In the House, Democrats picked up a number of seats that had been red for generations.

The early seesaw nature of the governor’s race turned solidly for Democrat Ned Lamont, as returns from the state’s biggest cities came rolling in overnight.

Here are some of the key lessons learned.

1. In The Battle Of Trump Vs. Malloy, Trump Lost

So many races, from the open gubernatorial seat to contests for the General Assembly, were framed as a battle between unpopular Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and unpopular Republican President Donald Trump, even though neither man was on the ballot. Based on Tuesday’s results, it appears Malloy was far less toxic than Trump.

Painting Lamont as a Malloy clone looked like a winning strategy for the GOP. A Quinnipiac University poll released in early October showed that nearly seven in 10 voters disapprove of the job Malloy is doing, compared with 59 percent who disapprove of Trump. But ultimately, the “Ned Malloy” line of attack was not potent enough to sink Lamont.

2. Voter Turnout Surged

The secretary of the state is reporting that more than 65 percent of eligible voters went to the polls Tuesday, with some communities reporting far higher numbers.

3. Connecticut Will Have New Clout In Congress

All four of Connecticut’s U.S. representatives seeking re-election have won their races, positioning them for key posts in the House that flipped to Democratic control. Reps. Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro and John Larson are in line to lead subcommittees that steer federal funding to submarine manufacturing, biomedical research and the state’s web of interstate highways. Rep. Jim Himes said earlier this week he hopes to chair a subcommittee of the House Intelligence Committee.

4. Fairfield County Goes Blue In The Governor’s Race

In suburbs across the country, the Republican Party has been bruised by Trump. That’s especially true in Fairfield County, long the bastion of a reserved brand of Republicanism embodied by moderates such as Stewart B. McKinney and George H.W. Bush. Lamont racked up big pluralities in the L-shaped corridor from Danbury to Westport.

5. Incumbents Unseated

Democrats won legislative seats in Fairfield County that have been held by the GOP for generations. In the 26th Senate District, 22-year-old Democrat Will Haskell defeated Sen. Toni Boucher, a popular moderate Republican from Wilton. The seat has been held by Republicans since the 1970s, though Hillary Clinton won the district by 22 percentage points in 2016. And for the first time since the 1930s, a Democrat notched a victory in the 36th Senate District, which includes Greenwich and a piece of Stamford and New Canaan. Democrat Alexandra Bergstein bested Republican incumbent L. Scott Frantz by at least 638 votes, unofficial results show.

6. Republicans Lost Ground In The House Too

In addition to picking up as many as six seats in the state Senate, Democrats made gains in the House too. One bright spot for House GOP leader Themis Klarides: Republicans flipped the Quiet Corner seat long held by conservative Democrat Danny Rovero. And there’s a possibility of more good news for the GOP: two races still face recounts, including a cliffhanger involving the seat held by Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz. Aresimowicz, who represents the 30th House District is separated from his Republican challenger Michael Gagliardi, by just 37 votes. The district covers Berlin and Southington.

7. Cities Delivered For Lamont

Once again, the state’s biggest cities came through for the Democrats, just as they did in 2010 and 2014. Lamont carried Bridgeport, the state’s most populous city, by 15,931 votes, and Hartford by 17,238 votes, according to unofficial results posted on the secretary of the state’s website in the pre-dawn hours. In New Haven, just 20 percent of precincts had reported results as of 9 a.m., with Lamont staked to a lead of 6,616 votes.

8. Did We Mention Jahana?

Democrat Jahana Hayes, the former National Teacher of the Year who has never sought elective office before, made history Tuesday when she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Connecticut.

9. The Blue Wave Was Propelled By Women

Emboldened by a surge of activism in the age of Trump, Democratic women who had never served in office before were behind some of Tuesday’s biggest victories in Connecticut. From Hayes, who won the open congressional seat in the 5th District, to dozens of women running for the General Assembly, women are poised to lead in greater numbers than ever before.

“What we’ve seen in Connecticut and across the country were a number of boundary-breaking women who shifted the narrative,’’ said Khalilah L. Brown-Dean, associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University. The significance of these wins is bigger than just their identity. The real gain is what they bring to the table on issues like economic development, health care, education, reproductive rights and immigration.”