Litchfield County was the last
county in the state
with more registered Republicans than Democrats, ever since Fairfield
County flipped to the Dems in 2002. But no more. As of the February
2008 Presidential primary, Democrats (now numbering 31,952) in
this former GOP stronghold have finally overtaken Republicans
(31,081) in voter
registration.
Since 2005, Democratic registration has
been on the rise
throughout the state. Of the six towns in the state with the greatest
percentage gains for Democrats between 2005 and 2008, five of them are
in Litchfield County: Warren (113% increase!), Sharon (38%), Salisbury
(33%), Canaan (25%), and Cornwall (22%). Every town in the county
gained Democrats over this period by an average of 9%, and all but two
towns lost Republicans by an average of 3%.
As in most
counties, both parties are substantially outnumbered by unaffiliated
voters, but the growth in Dems clearly reflects and has contributed to
political shifts in the county, as expressed in municipal, legislative,
and Congressional election results (detailed below).
However, at the state legislative level, Democrats have been
slow to respond to these electoral shifts. Eight of the nine House
Republican incumbents in the county got
a free ride into office
in 2006, unchallenged by any Democratic candidate. With district
nominating conventions approaching in May, there is still some time for
Democrats to declare themselves as candidates. But thus far
in 2008, even with the guarantee of equal financial footing through clean
elections funding, not a single Democrat has filed as a
candidate to challenge any House GOP incumbent in Litchfield County.
The costs of Democratic timidity are real and measurable. Three of the
five most
reactionary Republicans in the House represent Litchfield
County. (Five local legislators appear on another worst
list.) With no challengers, they have no incentive
to moderate their positions.
See below for more details on political shifts in the county
and recent trends in the towns.
In the county's Senate races, there is more of an early effort:
8th. Democrat Arthur
House,
a banking exec and former insurance industry lobbyist (ick), will take
on Rep. Kevin Witkos for the seat held by outgoing Sen. Tom Herlihy.
30th. Winchester Selectman Mike Renzullo will
challenge
Sen. Andrew Roraback, who represents some of the most
Democratic-leaning towns in the county (six of the district's towns are
represented by Democrats in the House).
32nd. Former ambassador John McCarthy
is challenging Republican Sen. Rob Kane, who recently won the seat
vacated by Sen. Lou DeLuca. (McCarthy will be at a Roxbury
reception on April 27.)
The political strength of Democrats in Litchfield County
was evident even before they overtook Republicans in voter
registration.
A majority (54%) of towns in the county elected
Democrats to their top
municipal office in 2007, and a majority (54%) elected Democratic
majorities to their boards of selectmen in 2005 (more recent
board info not readily available).
Chris Murphy's Congressional challenge to Nancy Johnson was
not taken very seriously until late in the election season. But almost
all of the towns that overlap the 5th CD voted
for Murphy.
Almost half of the towns (46%) voted
for John Kerry.
The county voted for Democrats for President in 1996 and 2000, though
voters there had consistently supported Republican candidates from 1968
to 1992.
Dems in the town
of Litchfield,
substantially outnumbered by registered Republicans, won a majority on
all major elected boards in 2007 and narrowly lost their challenge to
the GOP First Selectman (48% to 52%).
Democrats should also find some encouragement from past General
Assembly election results:
House: There are 12 towns in the 26-town county that have a
Democratic state representative (and all of these towns voted
overwhelmingly for the Dem candidates, Roberta
Willis and George
Wilber,
in 2006). Democratic challenger Paul Cavegnero nearly unseated
Republican Anne Ruwet in Torrington, coming within 442 votes in 2004
and 62 votes in 2006. As recently as 1999, there were no Democratic
state reps anywhere in the county.
Senate: Only two towns in the county are represented by a
Democrat in the Senate (Tom
Colapietro),
but Democratic challenger Steve Berry ran a very competitive race
against incumbent Senator Tom Herlihy in 2006, losing by
only 367 votes. In fact, Berry won in five of the six Litchfield County
towns that overlap the 8th District. Herlihy is not running again in
2008.
The Democratic National Committee is committed to a 50-state
strategy of
leaving no Republican unchallenged. Connecticut's new
Citizens' Election
Program promises an equal financial playing field for candidates.
Democrats
through the state are motivated and have been turning out in record
numbers.
If Connecticut Democrats continue to hand most
Republican legislators a free ride into office this year,
they should hang their heads in shame.
Litchfield County was the 
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