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Presidential election in Connecticut, 2016

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General election in Connecticut
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Hillary Clinton
Electoral votes: 7
2012 winner: Barack Obama (D)
Democratic Primary
  Date: April 26, 2016
Winner: Hillary Clinton
Republican Primary
  Date: April 26, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in Connecticut
  U.S. Senate
U.S. House
Connecticut State Senate
Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut judicial elections
Connecticut local judicial elections
School boards
Click here for more elections in Connecticut
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Connecticut held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democratic and Republican primaries took place in Connecticut on April 26, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Hillary Clinton won Connecticut in the general election.
  • In 2016, Connecticut had seven electoral votes, which was 1.3 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 2.6 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Connecticut cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 73.33 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Connecticut supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 53.33 to 46.67 percent. The state favored Democrats in every presidential election between between 2000 and 2016.
  • Presidential primary elections in Connecticut took place on April 26, 2016. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary with 51.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 57.9 percent.

    • General election candidates and results

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Connecticut secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Connecticut

    ☑ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green)

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Connecticut, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 54.6% 897,572 7
         Republican Donald Trump/Mike Pence 40.9% 673,215 0
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3% 48,676 0
         Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.4% 22,841 0
         - Write-in votes 0.2% 2,616 0
    Total Votes 1,644,920 7
    Election results via: Connecticut Secretary of State

    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties: The counties that voted Obama-Obama-Trump from 2008-2016

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[1] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Connecticut's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Connecticut, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Connecticut participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Connecticut voted for the winning presidential candidate 73.33 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
    • Connecticut voted Democratic 46.67 percent of the time and Republican 53.33 percent of the time.

    Presidential election voting record in Connecticut, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, Connecticut, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 58.1% 905,083 7
         Republican Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 40.7% 634,892 0
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 0.8% 12,580 0
         Independent Ross C. Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez 0.4% 5,487 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.1% 918 0
    Total Votes 1,558,960 7
    Election results via: Connecticut Secretary of State

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, Connecticut, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden 60.6% 997,772 7
         Republican John McCain/Sarah Palin 38.2% 629,428 0
         Independent Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 1.2% 19,162 0
         Write-in Chuck Baldwin/Darrell L. Castle (write-in) 0% 311 0
         Write-in Cynthia A. McKinney/Rosa A. Clemente (write-in) 0% 90 0
         Write-in Brian Moore/Stewart A. Alexander (write-in) 0% 19 0
         Write-in Róger Calero/Alyson Kennedy (write-in) 0% 15 0
    Total Votes 1,646,797 7
    Election results via: Connecticut Secretary of State

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Connecticut electors

    In 2016, Connecticut had seven electoral votes. Connecticut's share of electoral votes represented 1.3 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 2.6 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Democratic electors in Connecticut were selected at the Democratic state convention, while Republican electors were selected by a Republican state central committee.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[4][5]

    Connecticut was one of 31 states in 2016—including the District of Columbia—with a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Connecticut elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Connecticut covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats:
    • 2016 Democratic winner: Hillary Clinton
    • Poll leader: Hillary Clinton
    • 2008 Democratic winner: Barack Obama
    • Type: Closed Primary
    • Delegate allocation: Proportional
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 55
    		 Republicans
    • 2016 Republican winner: Donald Trump
    • Poll leader: Donald Trump
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Closed Primary
    • Delegate allocation: Winner take all
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 28

    Democrats

    In a tight race, Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary by 5 percentage points.[6] In a CNN exit poll, 56 percent of women who participated supported Clinton, while 57 percent of men supported Sanders. Winning the support of 69 percent, Clinton swept voters 65 and over. Sanders had overwhelming support from voters age 17 to 29, winning 84 percent of their support.[6]

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the Republican primary, finishing nearly 30 points ahead of John Kasich and more than 45 points ahead of Ted Cruz.[7] In an NBC News exit poll, Trump swept voters of all income levels, including Republicans with the lowest incomes. He had the support of nearly 70 percent of Republicans earning less than $50,000 annually.[8] Trump also won the support of 72 percent of Republicans with a high school education or less, 64 percent of some college, and 54 percent of college graduates. A majority of Republicans with postgraduate educations supported other candidates.[8]

    2016 primary results

    Democrats

    Connecticut Democratic Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton 51.8% 170,048 28
    Bernie Sanders 46.4% 152,395 27
    Roque De La Fuente 0.3% 960 0
    Other 1.5% 4,872 0
    Totals 328,275 55
    Source: The New York Times and Connecticut Secretary of State

    Republicans

    Connecticut Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 57.9% 123,484 28
    John Kasich 28.4% 60,503 0
    Ted Cruz 11.7% 24,978 0
    Ben Carson 0.8% 1,731 0
    Other 1.3% 2,676 0
    Totals 213,372 28
    Source: The New York Times and Connecticut Secretary of State

    Primary candidates

    Democrats[9]

    Hillary Clinton


    Bernie Sanders

    Republicans[9]

    Jeb Bush
    Ben Carson


    Ted Cruz
    John Kasich


    Marco Rubio
    Donald Trump

    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Connecticut had 71 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 55 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[10][11]

    Sixteen party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[10][12]

    Connecticut superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Connecticut, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Connecticut had 28 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 15 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's five congressional districts). Connecticut's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the vote in a district received all of that district's delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide primary vote, he or she received all of the state's district delegates.[13][14]

    Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[13][14]

    Connecticut Delegates

    Polls

    Democratic primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Connecticut)
    Poll Hillary Clinton Bernie SandersMartin O'MalleyUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Public Policy Polling
    April 22-24, 2016    		48%46%0%6%+/-3.7709
    Quinnipiac University
    April 12-18, 2016    		51%42%0%7%+/-31,037
    Emerson
    April 10-11, 2016    		49%43%0%8%+/-5.2356
    Emerson College
    November 13-16, 2015    		49.5%30.7%9.1%10.7%+/-6251
    Quinnipiac University
    October 7-11, 2015    		37%25%0%38%+/-4610
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Republican primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling - 2016 (Connecticut)
    Poll Donald Trump John KasichTed CruzUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Gravis
    April 23-24, 2016    		54%27%9%10%+/-3964
    Public Policy Polling
    April 22-24, 2016    		59%25%13%3%+/-4.3512
    Quinnipiac University
    April 12-18, 2016    		48%28%19%5%+/-3.4823
    Emerson College
    April 10-11, 2016    		50%26%17%7%+/-5.2354
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (2015) (Connecticut)
    Poll Donald Trump John KasichTed CruzBen CarsonMarco RubioJeb BushCarly FiorinaRand PaulChris ChristieGeorge PatakiUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Emerson College
    November 13-16, 2015    		24.7%10.4%6.1%9.1%14.3%10.1%3.6%6.2%2.4%<1%12.5%+/-4.6445
    Quinnipiac University
    October 7-11, 2015    		34%4%6%14%7%6%11%1%4%1%12%+/-4.6464
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


    Presidential voting history

    Connecticut presidential election results (1900-2024)

    • 16 Democratic wins
    • 16 Republican wins
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
    Winning Party R R R D R R R R R D D D R R R D D D R R R R R D D D D D D D D D

    State profile

    Demographic data for Connecticut
     ConnecticutU.S.
    Total population:3,584,730316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):4,8423,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:77.3%73.6%
    Black/African American:10.3%12.6%
    Asian:4.2%5.1%
    Native American:0.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.8%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:14.7%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:89.9%86.7%
    College graduation rate:37.6%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$70,331$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:12.2%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Connecticut.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Connecticut

    Connecticut voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Connecticut, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[15]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Connecticut had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

    More Connecticut coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
    2. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    3. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    4. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    5. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 CNN, "2016 Election Center: Connecticut," April 26, 2016
    7. ↑ The New York Times, "Connecticut Primary Results," April 26, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 NBC News, "Live Blog: Exit Poll Analysis From Tuesday's Primaries," April 26, 2016
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Ct Mirror, "No surprises on ballot choices for CT presidential primary," accessed February 27, 2016
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    11. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    12. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
    15. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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    Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate


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