U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, wins re-election.

Hartford (AP) — U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney won re-election Tuesday to a seventh term representing eastern Connecticut.

The Democrat from Vernon has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2007.

His challenger, Republican Iraq War veteran Dan Postemski of Hampton, stopped campaigning weeks before the election. He said he stepped up when nobody else was willing to challenge the incumbent, but he was promised help that never materialized.

Courtney has emphasized his efforts as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to bolster submarine construction at Electric Boat in Groton and the nearby Navy base.

Also on the ballot were Green Party candidate Michelle Louise Bicking and Daniel Reale, a libertarian.

In other U.S. House races in Connecticut, acclaimed educator Jahana Hayes is declaring victory in her bid for a seat representing northwestern Connecticut.

Votes were still being counted Tuesday night and it was too close for The Associated Press to call a winner.

Hayes, a Democrat, is facing Republican Manny Santos, a former mayor of Meriden.

The two are vying to succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who chose not to seek re-election after being criticized for her slow handling of a sexual harassment case in her office. It involved her former chief of staff, who was not fired for several months following allegations he punched and threatened a female staffer.

Hayes is a former national teacher of the year who called for strengthening the public education system and passing stronger federal gun safety laws.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is returning for another term in the U.S. House seat she has held since 1991.

DeLauro, a Democrat, was re-elected Tuesday for a 15th term. She was facing a rematch against the same Republican challenger from the previous election, Angel Cadena Jr., a Marine Corps veteran and truck driver from Shelton.

DeLauro is 75. She says her highest priority is improving the economy and ensuring economic policies benefit families and businesses in her district, including the city of New Haven.

Cadena had called for exploration of ways to ease traffic and endorsed the idea of a bridge over Long Island Sound to connect the New Haven area with New York state. During the campaign, he joked about the GOP not giving him money because it wanted to spend it on races it could win.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes was re-elected to a fourth term in the House representing the southwest corner of Connecticut.

The Democrat on Tuesday defeated Republican candidate Harry Arora, an investment manager who grew up in India and became a U.S. citizen after coming to the states for graduate school.

The 52-year-old Himes is a former Goldman Sachs & Co. banker from Greenwich. He has touted his efforts to create financial regulatory reform, help improve the economy and support more funding to improve roads, bridges and rail lines.