Democratic Party primaries in Connecticut, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 30 (by mail), or Nov. 6 (in-person)
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on their party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party sought to increase its power at the state and federal levels under the Trump administration. Its membership, however, disagreed on several major policy areas, including healthcare, free trade, education funding, a federal job guarantee, and a proposal to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1][2]
Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won 31 of 33 primaries in 2018.[3] Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D) primary victory over incumbent Joseph Crowley (D) in New York's 14th Congressional District was a notable victory for progressive activists.[4][5][6]
Democrats also won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in 30 years and flipped longtime Republican seats in the Wisconsin state Senate and Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. A record number of Republican congressional retirements also led to large Democratic fields for typically non-competitive seats.[7]
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Connecticut on August 14, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Battleground primaries
- Connecticut's 5th Congressional District election (August 14, 2018 Democratic primary)
- Connecticut gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 14 Democratic primary)
- Connecticut lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 14 Democratic primary)
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
District 1
The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.
District 2
The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.
District 3
The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.
District 4
The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.
District 5
State elections
Connecticut Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | I | I | I | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Declined to run
- Chris Mattei - Former federal prosecutor[9]
- Nancy Wyman - Lieutenant governor[10]
Lieutenant gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Attorney general election
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Secretary of state election
Democratic primary candidates
The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.
Did not make the ballot:
State party overview
- See also: Democratic Party of Connecticut
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of Connecticut's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Democratic Party of Connecticut revenue, 2011 to 2016[11][12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $2,539,159.16 | $99,727.61 | $2,638,886.77 |
| 2012 | $2,539,159.16 | $192,143.17 | $2,731,302.33 |
| 2013 | $1,992,917.28 | $335,806.47 | $2,328,723.75 |
| 2014 | $4,670,526.56 | $1,492,690.64 | $6,163,217.20 |
| 2015 | $1,235,235.72 | $247,704.05 | $1,482,939.77 |
| 2016 | $1,477,232.23 | $291,663.15 | $1,768,895.38 |
Connecticut compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
Connecticut was one of four states to hold a primary election on August 14, 2018.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Connecticut utilizes a closed primary system, in which only registered party members may vote in a party's primary. However, Connecticut state law allows parties to decide whether unaffiliated voters can vote in their primary before each election.[13][14][15]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Connecticut, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[16]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Connecticut, one must be a U.S. citizen and Connecticut resident who is at least 17 years-old and will be 18 on or before Election Day.[17]
Registration applications can be submitted online or completed via paper forms. The deadline for mail-in applications is 18 days before an election or primary, while same-day registration is available but must be completed at designated election-day registration locations in each town.[18]
Automatic registration
Connecticut automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Connecticut has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Connecticut allows same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Connecticut, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.
Verification of citizenship
Connecticut does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, if you knowingly providing false information, "you can be convicted and imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to $5,000."[19]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[20] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The site Voter Registration Lookup, run by the Connecticut Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Connecticut requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.[21] A voter who does not present a required ID may sign an affidavit with their name, address, and date of birth, and then election officials may determine that the voter is eligible to vote.[22]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Connecticut Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
First-time voters who registered by mail must present one of the following forms of identification to vote in an election with federal candidates on the ballot:
- Copy of a current and valid photo identification with the voter’s name and address, or
- Copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows the voter’s name and address.
Other voters must present one of the following forms of identification:
- Any re-printed form of identification that shows the voter's name and address, name and signature, or name and photograph.
- Social security card.
Early voting
Connecticut permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Governor Ned Lamont (D) signed Public Act 23-5 into law on June 7, 2023. The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2023, implemented in-person early voting for elections occurring after January 1, 2024.[23] The length of the early voting period varies based on the type of election. Fourteen days of early voting are required for general elections, seven days are required for most primaries, and four days are required for special elections and presidential preference primaries. Each municipality was required to establish at least one early voting location.[24]
In 2022, Connecticut voters approved a legislatively referred constitutional amendment allowing the Connecticut General Assembly to pass laws providing for in-person early voting.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
Connecticut voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on election day for one of the following reasons:[25]
- Active military service
- Absence from town of residence during voting hours
- Illness or physical disability, or role as a caregiver to another individual with illness or disability
- Religious beliefs precluding secular activity on election day
- Performance of duties as an election official at a different polling place during voting hours
To request an absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter may complete and sign an application and return it to their town clerk, or complete an online application. Voters requesting an absentee/mail-in ballot within six days of an election must complete an emergency application.[25]
An absentee ballot must be returned either in person by close of business the day before the election or by mail. If returned by mail, the ballot must be received by close of polls on election day.[25]
See also
| Federal primaries in Connecticut | State primaries in Connecticut | Connecticut state party apparatus | Connecticut voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Why a 'federal jobs guarantee' is gaining steam with Democrats," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Atlantic, "What ‘Abolish ICE’ Actually Means," July 11, 2018
- ↑ CNBC, "Despite Ocasio-Cortez upset, Democratic primaries have not gone as far left as some argue," June 28, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "There Is a Revolution on the Left. Democrats Are Bracing." July 21, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Democrats Are Moving Left. Don’t Panic," July 23, 2018
- ↑ Time, "How Democrats in Congress Responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Surprise Win," June 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," October 26, 2017
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Murphy Raises $2M In Second Quarter Of 2017," July 12, 2017
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Democrat Chris Mattei Declares Candidacy For Attorney General," December 11, 2017
- ↑ The CT Mirror, "Nancy Wyman says she won’t run for governor in 2018," November 16, 2017
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "SEEC Campaign Reporting Information System (eCRIS)," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Connecticut Republican SCC, Connecticut Republican Party, and Democratic State Central Committee)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Connecticut Republican SCC, Connecticut Republican Party, and Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Major Party Nominating Procedures in States With Conventions," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-431," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-174," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Voting Eligibility," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of the State, "State of Connecticut Mail-in Voter Registration," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "FAQ Voter ID," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "Sections 9-261," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Public Act No. 23-5," June 7, 2023
- ↑ State of Connecticut, "Governor Lamont Signs Legislation Establishing Early Voting in Connecticut Elections and Primaries," June 7, 2023
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Connecticut Secretary of the State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed July 23, 2024
