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Topline Takeaways

• After both the state legislature and the state advisory commission failed to meet state deadlines, the state Supreme Court was responsible for approving new district boundaries.

• The Connecticut Supreme Court selected Nathanial Persily to draw new congressional districts, the exact same person chosen to draw the state’s districts in last decade’s redistricting cycle.

• Persily made few changes to Connecticut congressional districts: all still lean in favor of Democrats and two remain moderately competitive.

Who’s In Control?

Connecticut’s redistricting process embarked on a long-winding road only to end with a single man holding the pen. State law dictates that the Connecticut legislature is responsible for drawing and approving new district maps and must do so with a two-thirds vote in both houses. However, due to federal government delays in providing census data the legislature was unable to meet its September 15 deadline, moving the process to a bipartisan advisory commission. That commission then failed to meet an extended deadline of December 21, 2021, passing the duty to the state Supreme Court. The Connecticut Supreme Court appointed special master Nathaniel Persily to draw the new congressional district boundaries. This presents a particularly unique situation as Persily was solely responsible for drawing the state’s congressional district boundaries during the 2010 redistricting cycle. Therefore, a single man will be responsible for the shape of Connecticut’s congressional districts for as long as twenty years.

District Breakdown

Much like in Rhode Island, the resulting congressional districts all lean in favor of Democrats while also retaining a couple of competitive districts. All eyes are on CT-05 as the National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting Rep. Jahanna Hayes. This led to a rare blue-state visit by NRCC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel who touted the opening of a GOP “community center” in New Britain. The committee has also already run attack ads against Hayes, criticizing her record. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has responded by placing Hayes on their “Frontline,” a program designed to protect 32 “at-risk” Democratic House incumbents.

Leftover Links

• Connecticut Republicans sign on to an idea that’s quickly gaining traction across the country: temporarily suspending the state gas tax.

• Republicans are also eyeing Connecticut’s Senate seat as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) is up for re-election this year.