Connecticut's 4th congressional district facts for kids

Connecticut's 4th congressional district is an area in the U.S. state of Connecticut that elects a person to represent it in the United States House of Representatives. This district is located in the southwestern part of the state. It includes many suburban towns and stretches from Bridgeport, which is Connecticut's largest city, all the way to Greenwich. This area is very close to New York City. The district also reaches further inland towards cities like Danbury.

Currently, the district is represented by Jim Himes, who is a member of the Democratic Party. This district is considered one of the more Democratic areas in Connecticut. This means that people living here tend to vote for Democratic candidates more often.

Towns in the District

The 4th congressional district includes many towns. Most of these towns are in Fairfield County, but one town is in New Haven County.

Fairfield County Towns

• Bridgeport
• Darien
• Easton
• Fairfield
• Greenwich
• Monroe
• New Canaan
• Norwalk
• Redding
• Ridgefield
• Shelton (part of it)
• Stamford
• Trumbull
• Weston
• Westport
• Wilton

New Haven County Towns

• Oxford

Voting Trends in the District

Over time, how people vote in the 4th district has changed a lot. It used to be a strong area for the Republican Party. However, since the 1990s, more and more people have started voting for the Democratic Party in national elections.

Presidential Election Results

The district has not voted for a Republican president since 1988. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden, a Democrat, won with 64% of the votes. This was his best result in any district in Connecticut.

Recent Congressional Elections

Even though the district started voting more Democratic in presidential elections, Republicans often won the congressional seat until the early 2000s. In 2004, a Democrat named Diane Farrell came very close to winning against the long-time Republican representative, Chris Shays. This was the closest election in the district in 30 years! Shays won again in 2006, but then lost to Jim Himes in 2008. Jim Himes has been the representative for the district ever since.

2008 Election Results

This election was important because it was when Jim Himes first won the seat.

Who Has Represented the District?

The 4th congressional district has had many different representatives throughout its history. These people served in the United States House of Representatives, helping to make laws for the country.

• Truman Smith (Whig Party): Served from 1845 to 1849. He later became a U.S. Senator.
• Origen S. Seymour (Democratic Party): Served from 1851 to 1855. He left to become a judge.
• William Henry Barnum (Democratic Party): Served for a long time, from 1867 to 1876. He resigned to become a U.S. Senator.
• Ebenezer J. Hill (Republican Party): Served two separate times, first from 1895 to 1913, and again from 1915 until his death in 1917. He was a representative for many years.
• Schuyler Merritt (Republican Party): Also served two separate times, from 1917 to 1931 and from 1933 to 1937.
• Clare Boothe Luce (Republican Party): Served from 1943 to 1947. She was a famous writer and politician.
• Stewart McKinney (Republican Party): Served from 1971 until his death in 1987. He was a representative for 16 years.
• Christopher Shays (Republican Party): Took over after McKinney's death in 1987 and served until 2009. He was the last Republican to hold the seat.
• Jim Himes (Democratic Party): Has represented the district since 2009 and is the current representative.

Images for kids

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  Truman Smith (1845–1849)

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  Thomas B. Butler (1849–1851)

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  Origen S. Seymour (1851–1855)

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  William D. Bishop (1857–1859)

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  Orris S. Ferry (1859–1861)

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  George C. Woodruff (1861–1863)

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  John Henry Hubbard (1863–1867)

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  William Henry Barnum (1867–1876)

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  Levi Warner (1876–1879)

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  Frederick Miles (1879–1883, 1889–1891)

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  Edward Woodruff Seymour (1883–1887)

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  Miles T. Granger (1887–1889)

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  Robert E. De Forest (1891–1895)

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  Ebenezer J. Hill (1895–1913, 1915–1917)

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  Jeremiah Donovan (1913–1915)

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  Schuyler Merritt (1917–1931, 1933–1937)

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  Alfred N. Phillips (1937–1939)

• Albert E. Austin

  Albert E. Austin (1939–1941)

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  Le Roy D. Downs (1941–1943)

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  Clare Boothe Luce (1943–1947)

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  John Davis Lodge (1947–1951)

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  Albert P. Morano (1951–1959)

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  Donald J. Irwin (1959–1961, 1965–1969)

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  Abner W. Sibal (1961–1965)

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  Lowell Weicker (1969–1971)

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  Stewart McKinney (1971–1987)

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  Christopher Shays (1987–2009)

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  Jim Himes (2009–Present)

Historical District Boundaries

2003–2013

See also

In Spanish: 4.º distrito congresional de Connecticut para niños