Connecticut State Senate District 19

Connecticut State Senate District 19 is represented by Catherine Osten (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Connecticut state senators represented an average of 100,165 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 99,280 residents.

About the office[edit]

Members of the Connecticut State Senate serve two-year terms without term limits.^[1] Connecticut legislators assume office the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election.

Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article III, Section 3 of the Connecticut Constitution states: "The senate shall consist of not less than thirty and not more than fifty members, each of whom shall be an elector residing in the senatorial district from which he is elected. Each senatorial district shall be contiguous as to territory and shall elect no more than one senator."

Salaries[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$28,000/year	No per diem is paid.

Vacancies[edit]

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Connecticut General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy happens. All special elections must be held no later than 46 days after a governor's declaration. If the vacancy happens with less than 125 days left before the general election, the special election must be held on the same day as the general election. No election can be called by the governor if the vacancy happens with less than 49 days before the general election.^[2]

See sources: Connecticut Gen. Stat. § 9-215

District map[edit]

The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Redistricting[edit]

2020-2021[edit]

See also: Redistricting in Connecticut after the 2020 census

The Connecticut Reapportionment Commission voted 8-0 in favor of new maps for the state's 151 House districts and 36 Senate districts on November 18 and November 23, 2021, respectively.^[3][4] The commission, made up of four Democratic lawmakers, four Republican lawmakers, and a ninth member selected by the commissioners, took over the redistricting process after the previous Reapportionment Committee failed to meet its Sept. 15 deadline to select maps and win two-thirds approval from both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly.^[5] Census data was not delivered until Sept. 16. Unlike the committee, maps prepared by the Reapportionment Commission did not need to win approval from the General Assembly.^[6] This map takes effect for Connecticut's 2022 legislative elections.

State Senate map[edit]

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

State House map[edit]

Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Reactions[edit]

State legislative redistricting in Connecticut finished with the enactment of the new Senate maps. The CT Mirror's Mark Pazniokas wrote, "Passage of the Senate map came without debate in an 11-minute meeting conducted via Zoom, a reflection that the maps in Connecticut are resolved by negotiation."^[7] Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly (R) said, "It's a truly bipartisan effort," and Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D) said, "We have a much better approach than most the country does on this."^[7]

Regarding the House map in particular, CT Political Junkie's Susan Bigelow wrote, "[T]he reapportionment process is one controlled by the legislature, which means that the new map is designed to protect incumbents more than anything else."^[8] In a separate article on the site, Hugh McQuaid wrote that commissioner and House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R) "said the panel tried to avoid disrupting incumbent legislators and their communities."^[9]

Candelora said, "I think overall, we made a lot of difficult decisions trying to keep a lot of the core districts intact, but recognizing the fact that with population changes so do come changes to various districts."^[10] Commissioner and House Speaker Matthew Ritter (D) said the map either promoted or did not diminish minority communities, saying, "We did not dilute one of those districts ... They're all the same as they were. That was not negotiable for anybody in the room."^[11]

How does redistricting in Connecticut work? In Connecticut, the state legislature is primarily responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Maps must be approved by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. If the state legislature is unable to approve new maps, a backup commission is convened to draw congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The commission consists of nine members. The four legislative leaders (i.e., the majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the legislature) appoint two members each. The ninth member is selected by the eight previously selected commissioners.^[12][13]

The Connecticut Constitution requires that all districts, whether congressional or state legislative, be contiguous. In addition, state House districts must "not divide towns except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements."^[14]

Elections[edit]

2022[edit]

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2022

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

The general election will occur on November 8, 2022.

2020[edit]

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2020

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Catherine Osten advanced from the Democratic primary for Connecticut State Senate District 19.

The Republican primary election was canceled. Steve Weir advanced from the Republican primary for Connecticut State Senate District 19.

2018[edit]

2016[edit]

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.

Incumbent Catherine Osten defeated Barbara Crouch in the Connecticut State Senate District 19 general election.^[15]

Connecticut State Senate, District 19 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Catherine Osten Incumbent	58.51%	24,614
	Republican	Barbara Crouch	41.49%	17,452
Total Votes				42,066
Source: Connecticut Secretary of the State

Incumbent Catherine Osten ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 19 Democratic primary.

Barbara Crouch ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 19 Republican primary.

2014[edit]

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 10, 2014. Incumbent Catherine A. Osten was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Steven Everett was unopposed in the Republican primary. Osten defeated Everett in the general election.^[16][17][18]

Connecticut State Senate, District 19 General Election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Catherine A. Osten Incumbent	51.1%	15,057
	Republican	Steven Everett	40.9%	12,047
	Working Families	Catherine A. Osten Incumbent	4.6%	1,369
	Independent	Steven Everett	3.4%	999
Total Votes				29,472

2012[edit]

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Connecticut State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 12, 2012. A total of 36 seats were up for election in 2012. Catherine Osten defeated Tom Reynolds in the August 14 Democratic primary before defeating Christopher Coutu (R) in the general election. Coutu ran unopposed in the June 14 Republican primary election.^{[19] [20]}

Connecticut State Senate, District 19, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Catherine A. Osten	51.6%	19,882
	Republican	Christopher Coutu	48.4%	18,679
Total Votes				38,561

Connecticut State Senate, District 19 Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Catherine Osten	57.6%	2,269
Tom Reynolds	42.4%	1,668
Total Votes		3,937

Campaign contributions[edit]

From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Connecticut State Senate District 19 raised a total of $1,479,318. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $73,966 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Connecticut State Senate District 19
Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2018	$123,761	2	$61,881
2016	$224,748	2	$112,374
2014	$126,914	2	$63,457
2012	$316,049	3	$105,350
2010	$166,533	2	$83,267
2008	$10,090	1	$10,090
2006	$69,846	2	$34,923
2004	$175,920	2	$87,960
2002	$201,327	2	$100,664
2000	$64,130	2	$32,065
Total	$1,479,318	20	$73,966

See also[edit]

• Connecticut State Legislature
• Connecticut State Senate
• Connecticut House of Representatives

External links[edit]

• The Connecticut State Senate

Footnotes[edit]

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