This incumbent won by a miniscule 83 votes to come to Congress in 2006. He has won in landslide votes ever since, which could mean that he is rusty if the environment goes sour. While he does have a note worthy candidate challenging him, he is projected to still win his race — just not in a landslide. Majority Savers heads to Connecticut’s 2nd district to profile Rep. Joe Courtney!
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Joe Courtney for Connecticut-2
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Candidate Background
Rep. Joe Courtney has been a lawyer or politician for most of his life, which means that his background is fairly cut and dry. You can read more about his background here and here.
- Courtney graduated from Tufts University in 1975, and then went for a J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut law school in 1978.
- He served as a public defender for three years before making partner at a law firm and served as the town attorney of Vernon, which is where he lives.
- He represented the Vernon area in the Connecticut House from 1987 to 1994. He ran several times for the 2nd district, but lost each time before finally winning in 2006.
Signature Issues
Rep. Joe Courtney touts his willingness to work with anyone, even those across the aisle. This puts him roughly in the middle of the Democratic caucus. He is definitely a liberal, but there is a touch of moderation in his stances as well that plays excellently with his constituents.
Courtney has a DW Nominate score of -0.343, which puts him right in the middle of the caucus. He is more liberal than 67% of the entire body of the House, while also being more moderate than 62% of his fellow Democratic caucus in the House. He votes with Joe Biden on major issues nearly 100% of the time.
Armed Forces: One of the major employers in the district is a submarine base in New London, and it has been slated for closure several times in recent decades. It is his mission to ensure that this base is fully funded and kept open. Courtney also typically endorses and votes for items that support veterans as well, such as the toxic burn pit legislation.
Gun Safety: As a member of the delegation from the state where Sandy Hook happened, Courtney has always supported strong gun safety measures, such as an assault weapons ban and enhanced background checks. He gained some positive press during a sit-in for gun safety measures in 2016.
Abortion: Courtney is 100% pro-choice, and recently voted to protect those going across state lines to get medical care. Just like everyone else in the Democratic caucus, he was aghast at the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the execrable Dobbs decision by our rogue Supreme Court.
Elections History
Recent Elections —
2020 President: Joe Biden (D) 54.7%, TFG (R-inc) 43.2%
2020 House: Joe Courtney (D-inc) 59%, Justin Anderson (R) 38%
2022 Race Rating: Likely Democratic
2022 PVI: D+3
Like most of the northeast, this district drifted away from its Yankee Republican roots and started supporting Democratic candidates for President. It often voted for Democratic members of the House at the same time, but there was no guarantee of that. Sometimes, a moderate Republican would win the race and represent eastern Connecticut in Congress.
This happened in 2000, when moderate Rep. Rob Simmons beat the previous incumbent. This was in spite of Gore winning the district in a landslide in the same year. Simmons would hold on through the 2004 Bush re-election, in which Kerry carried the district 54-44. Simmons then became a high profile casualty of the GW Bush era, when current Rep. Joe Courtney won by 83 votes in 2006.
Courtney has yet to be seriously challenged, and that could prove to be his undoing if the environment goes sour. Obama won the district handily twice, and Courtney won in landslides, even during bad years such as 2010 and 2014. The note of caution came in 2016, when Clinton only won the district 49-46. Biden improved in the district to the margins above, but it is still closer than previous elections and this district may now be a swing seat.
Political Tour of the District
Joe Courtney provides a better history of eastern Connecticut at this link than I could ever provide in a short paragraph. Democrats tend to do better along the coast and in the small cities, while the GQP tends to do better along the borders with Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Here’s where this race will be won in the 2nd district.
- Connecticut Coast + Norwich: This is one of two Democratic anchors found in the district. Most of these voters are strongly Democratic in nature, but there are some swing precincts in there too. Courtney has to work the area and turn it out to ensure his victory.
- Hartford Exurbs + Mansfield: This is the other Democratic anchor in the district, and it is also Courtney’s home base. Mansfield is extremely blue, while the other areas are more swingy in nature. It is critical that Courtney drive up the number of voters in this friendly area to him.
Here’s where we need to keep the margins down, or we lose.
- Border Lands: The border areas near Rhode Island and Massachusetts are where the GQP voters are in the district. Courtney traditionally has done well even here, but there is no guarantee in the hyper partisan era that this will continue. He will need to find the persuadable voters and then work extra hard to convert them to our cause.
Activism — Help How You Can!
If you go by fundraising totals, this will not be much of a race. Rep. Joe Courtney raised a mediocre $487k in Quarter 2, which indicates that he may not be effectively challenged. His opposition, State Rep. Mike France, only raised $148k, so Courtney may be right. However, dark money always is out there looking for races like this to swoop in if there’s any vulnerability.
Courtney has a mammoth cash on hand advantage over France. He has a grand total of $1.527 MILLION cash on hand, while France has only $148k in his campaign coffers right now. This race could still become competitive later, so if you have the means, go ahead and donate!
DONATE TO REP. JOE COURTNEY HERE
Volunteers are always needed in any political campaign, and this one could definitely use them. If you live in this section of New England and wish to volunteer for a campaign, this would be a good one to do so. You can sign up at this link to canvass, phone/text bank, and so much more!
Courtney is one of the more obscure members of the House for social media presence. He has a super low 1700 followers on Twitter, which means he cannot effectively get his message out with that few followers.
He also has a Facebook presence, likely again with few following him. Go to CourtneyforCongress to check out his social media page!
This race may turn out in the end to be a dud, with Rep. Joe Courtney winning in a landslide just like every other time. However, with an uncertain political environment and what could be a swing seat in the making, Majority Savers will still profile the race. It is better to be safe than sorry, and with each election there are surprises. Let’s make sure that this race isn’t that surprise!
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Joe Courtney for Connecticut-2
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