Connecticut 2012 Election Results

Connecticut held its general election on November 6, 2012, deciding 187 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Democrats kept full control of state government and came back with the same majorities, 99-52 in the House and 22-14 in the Senate; the seats that changed hands split evenly between the parties.
• Each party took one Senate seat from the other. Dante Bartolomeo (D) unseated Sen. Len Suzio (R) by fewer than 300 votes in Senate District 13, while Art Linares (R) took the open District 33 seat of retiring Democrat Eileen Daily and became the youngest state senator at 24. Linares and Andres Ayala Jr. (D), who had ousted Sen. Ed Gomes in the primary, became Connecticut's first two Latino state senators.
• In the House, three seats moved each way, and three incumbents lost:
  • Lezlye Zupkus (R) ousted longtime Rep. Vickie Orsini Nardello (D) by about 230 votes in House District 89.
  • Theresa Conroy (D) beat Rep. Len Greene Jr. (R) by fewer than 80 votes in District 105.
  • Mike Demicco (D) beat Rep. Bill Wadsworth (R) in District 21.
  In open seats, Brian Sear (D) took District 47 from Republicans. Republicans took District 34 with Melissa Ziobron (R) and Newtown's District 106 with Mitch Bolinsky (R), who won by fewer than 50 votes after the election's only mandatory recount.
• When the session opened in January, the House unanimously elected J. Brendan Sharkey (D) speaker, succeeding the retiring Christopher Donovan (D). In all, 8 seats changed party and 4 incumbents lost. Sen. John Kissel (R) held Senate District 7 by about 500 votes, and 36 of the 187 legislative races had only one candidate.

Legislature

• House (151 seats): 100 D, 51 R before the election, 99 D, 52 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
• Senate (36 seats): 22 D, 14 R before the election, 22 D, 14 R after; control stayed with Democrats.

Legislative races