Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney faces off against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District election
- Rep. Joe Courtney is running against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District.
- The 2nd District takes up almost the entire eastern part of the state and covers more than 60 cities and towns.
Longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney faces off against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District.
Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District candidates
Courtney, first elected in 2006 in what was one of the tightest congressional races of that year, chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. Before serving in the US House, the 69-year-old Democrat served in the Connecticut General Assembly from 1987 to 1994. During this tenure, he chaired the Public Health and Human Services Committees.
France, Courtney's challenger, is a retired naval officer and four-term Republican state representative. He serves as ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and chairs the Connecticut General Assembly Conservative Caucus.
Before entering politics, France served 20 years in the Navy on active duty. During his service, he completed three Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf deployments in support of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch.
Voting history for Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District
Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District takes up almost the entire eastern part of the state and covers more than 60 cities and towns, including Griswold, Killingly, Plainfield, and Norwich.
Joe Biden had an 11 percentage point margin of victory over then-President Donald Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020. The once-in-a-decade redistricting process following the 2020 Census made little to no change on the Democratic partisan lean.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Courtney has raised $1.85 million, spent $1.7 million, and has $869,000 of cash on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, France, has raised $780,000, spent $628,000, and has $152,000 of cash still left to spend, as of October 19.
Super PACs and other political committees have not played a significant role in this race, together only spending $213,000 through November 2 to advocate for or against the candidates — a small fraction of what such groups have spent in other US House races.
What experts say
The race between Courtney and France is rated "likely Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, and "likely Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.