Republican Gains of 2016 Evaporate Quickly in CT Legislature; 2021 Will Bring Larger Democratic Majorities

In August, Connecticut State Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano said he had no intention of resigning from that post.  By late October, just days ahead of Election Day 2020, the three-term chairman of the Republican State Central Committee said he would leave at the end of his latest term next June. 

While reasons driving the decision may be numerous, his decision coincides with a recent decline in Republican fortunes in Connecticut’s legislature, a roller coaster of almost six years during his tenure that saw the party’s legislative numbers reach higher than in many years, only to slide back downhill quickly, as reflected in the numbers in this week’s election.

It was only a few years ago on Election Day 2016, after decades of Democratic party majorities in the Senate and House dating back to the 1990’s, that Republicans seemed on the ascendency, achieving a rare two-year-long tie in the state Senate and increasing their numbers to within less than a dozen votes of a majority in the House.  The Senate has 36 members; the House 151. 

The State Senate partisan split illustrates what a difference a few years can make.  Heading into 2021, Democrats will have a 24-12 majority, based on the outcome on Election Day.  Just four years ago, after the 2016 election, each party had 18 State Senators, and shared power leading the evenly-divided chamber.  The House got as close as a 79-72 Democratic majority.  In the upcoming legislative session, based on initial results from this week’s election, there will be 98 Democrats.

Going back to the early ‘90’s, Connecticut’s legislature has been led by strong Democratic majorities.  Republicans last controlled the Senate after the 1994 election, with a slim 19-17 majority.  It lasted only one term, with Democrats hitting their high water mark of 24 Senators at elections in 2004, 2006, 2008, and this year.

In the House, between 1992 and 2014, Democrats had no fewer than 87 members, reaching as high as 106 in 2016 and 114 in 2008, when the number of Republicans elected dwindled to 37. Just eight years later, Republicans had nearly doubled that number, pushing their caucus numbers up to 72.  When the 2021 session convenes, Democrats will have their largest majority in the House and Senate since the start of the 2013 General Assembly session.