Maya McFadden Photo
10:04 p.m. Not giving up: U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro with supporters after delivering post-election remarks at the Shubert, predicting that Kamala Harris will win the presidency as the NYT needle predicted otherwise.
Incumbent Democratic state representatives crushed three Republican challengers in New Haven Tuesday night, as U.S. Senator Chris Murphy won a third six-year term representing Connecticut. the victors in the statewide Connecticut vote moments after polls closed. As national projections looked dour for Harris’s nationwide prospects, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro still projected confidence for her at a Shubert Theater gathering for her own projected victory.
Jesus of Nazareth, meanwhile, won a write-in vote on the east side of town.
Read on for moment-by-moment election updates from Independent reporters in the field.
8:00 AM The Associated Press called the Third Congressional District race for DeLauro at 1:31 a.m. Still-incomplete results show her opponent, Republican Michael Massey, winning around 45 percent of the vote despite running with a fraction of DeLauro’s money, name recognition, or organization.
9:50 p.m. New Haven U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is addressing 100 supporters in the lobby of the Shubert. Despite the NYT needles showing a likely Donald Trump victory in the presidential race, DeLauro declares that “I believe that we will see a Kamala Harris presidency” and “prevent a petty tyrant from occupying the White House.” Echoes of 2016? She gave a similar speech at the Shubert after the polls closed predicting Hillary Clinton would win just as the NYT needle was racing toward Trump’s likely victory. DeLauro projected confidence in her own win once all the votes are counted; she said she was running well ahead of Republican Michael Massey. If those numbers hold up, and Democrats win the House, DeLauro would return as the powerful chair of the Appropriations Committee. Watch DeLauro’s remarks here.
9:38 p.m. U.S. Sen Chris Murphy, in a press statement thanking voters for electing him to a third six-year term, is also keeping up a public face of confidence in the White House race: “I am hopeful and confident whether it be tonight, tomorrow morning, or Wednesday afternoon, that Kamala Harris is going to be the next President of the United States.”
9:15 p.m. The polls remain open long past the official 8 p.m. closing time at City Hall’s Election Day Registration/Voting station. More than 100 still haven’t voted; some people have waited as long as four and a half hours to cast ballots. Officials say everyone will get to vote. Jabez Choi and Laura Glesby have a full story here. Recommendation: People should register in advance of Election Day.
8:37 p.m. We are calling three contested state rep races, with incumbent Democrats winning all three: Pat Dillon captured 87.37 percent of the in-person and early votes against Republican Morris Sumpter’s 12.34 percent in the 92nd District; Roland Lemar crushed Republican/Independent Andrea Zola 86.82 percent to 13.10 percent based on the machine and early voting in the 96th District; Alphone Paolillo Jr. beat Republican Anthony Acri 74.19 percent to 25.72 percent in the 97th District. (We are estimating that absentee ballots cannot make up the difference.)
8:21 p.m. Trump usually posts his strongest New Haven showings in the East Shore Morris Cove (Ward 18) and Annex (Ward 17) precincts. We won’t have final numbers until early ballots and absentees are tabulated, hopefully later tonight (though it took longer to report in past even-number years). Here are the results from the voting that took place in person at the polls today: Ward 17: Harris 785, Trump 433, Stein 7, Other 6. Ward 18: Harris 852, Trump 694, Stein 20, Other 8. Click here (and scroll down) to read what some of those Cove voters (including one of those Stein 20!) told our reporter Allan Appel tolday.
8:19 p.m. Jesus of Nazareth got one write-vote in the presidential race, from the Eastview Terrace polling place (one of three in Ward 11).
Dave Weinreb Photo
Reading the vote tally at Ward 14's Atwater Senior Center.
8:11 p.m. Chris Murphy has been elected to a third six-year term as one of Connecticut’s two U.S. Senators, according to results from the Associated Press.
This was never a race. Not in terms of money or media attention or name recognition, though there was this one debate after tens of thousands of people already cast ballots.
Quick: Who was the Republican candidate?
If you guessed Justin Paglino … wrong. He was the Green Party candidate.
Robert Finley Hyde? Nope. He headed the Cheaper Gas Groceries Party ticket.
Did you guess Matt Corey? If so — he’ll appreciate it. And you’re right. His attempts to scare people about transgender bathrooms apparently didn’t move the Connecticut needle.
8:02 p.m. That was fast.
The polls closed at 8. The Associated Press has already called Kamala Harris the winner of Connecticut’s presidential vote.
A huge thank you to the wonderful volunteers who helped collect results directly from the polls:
Leslie Blatteau, Matan Cutler, Zach Groz, Leslie Radcliffe, Norma Rodriguez, Claudette Kidd, Kevin McCarthy, Jabez Choi, Marc Gonzalez, Josh Glaab, Allan Appel, Suzanne Boorsch, Karen Ponzio, Liz Grace, Brian Slattery, Dave Weinreb, Sophie Sonnenfeld, Rosalyn Diaz-Ortiz, Kira Johansen, Lisa Reisman, Abby Roth, Jeanette Sykes, Asher Joseph, Julia DiMiceli, Shreya Rao, Jeanette Morrison, Carl Goldfield, Lesley Heffel-McGuirk, Emma Remsberg, Sylva Kroeber, Aviva Green, Karen King, Steve Werlin, Anne Tubis, Jessica Tubis.