The District
Connecticut's 5th Congressional District

Connecticut's fifth district is up for grabs once again in another in a succession of contentious battles for the district's congressional seat. The central Connecticut district contains parts of Fairfield and New Haven Counties, and runs east from Meriden to Ridgefield and Danbury.

The residents of Fairfield County's small, wealthy towns are typically New York City executives whose livelihoods are more tied to the economy of New York City than to that of Connecticut. These residents are focused on maintaining their standard of living and keeping crime at bay. Historically, they have also been sympathetic to socially liberal candidates.

The lives of those living in Fairfield County differ greatly from the lives of those living in the rest of the district. Manufacturing and defense industries had provided jobs to these central Connecticut communities, but those jobs dried up when the industries contracted in the 1980s. The 1990s brought some relief to New Haven County as the area began to attract high-tech firms and jobs in health care. In spite of the district's successful efforts to attract new industries, it remains tied to the manufacturing and defense industries. Along with attracting new industries and maintaining defense contracts, the central part of the district also contends with the environmental repercussions of its manufacturing plants.

The area's economic diversity contrasts with it its racial homogeneity. 91% of the constituents are Caucasian, with African-Americans comprising 5% and Latinos just 1% of the district's population. African-Americans and Latinos are 12% and 9% of the U.S. population, respectively.

In spite of the district's lack of racial diversity, the mix of upper and working-class communities has made it difficult for either party to hold onto the congressional seat. Its citizens voted out their incumbent Congressman four times in the past thirty years. In 1996, the district gave Clinton the smallest margin of victory in the state. Recently the district has been represented by Congressmen of both parties. Connecticut's current Republican Governor, John Rowland, held the district's seat from 1984-1990. Republican Gary Franks replaced Rowland and held the seat from 1990-1996. After loosing to Franks in 1994, Maloney challenged him again in 1996 and won by a three percent margin. He ran as a fiscally conservative Democrat, both the balanced budget amendment and the termination of cash benefits for welfare recipients. In 1998 he was challenged by Nielsen, who lost by the smallest margin of any House challenger. After falling just 2,343 votes short of reclaiming the district for the Republicans, Nielsen is once again running against Maloney for control of this district.