Western Connecticut's 5th District is the local congressional race to watch, as voters are expected to turn out in high numbers for the 2024 presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lea Alston hit the polls at Waterbury City Hall on the first day of early voting, in part because of women’s health concerns.
"I am early voting today because I'm about to have a hysterectomy ... and I might not be able to get to the polls on [Nov. 5] ," Alston said. "I wanted to vote and I needed to vote to make sure Kamala Harris gets in office. Hopefully."
While some voters said the close presidential race drove them to the polls, the 5th District race is also proving to be tight. Higher turnout in a presidential election year could affect this year’s rematch between Democratic U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes and Republican challenger George Logan. Two years ago, Hayes won by about 2,000 votes.
An mid-October poll from Emerson College showed the two candidates neck and neck, with Hayes in the lead by just three percentage points.
Issues at play
More than half of voters in the district say the biggest issue this election is the economy. Voter interest in jobs, inflation and taxes overwhelmed all other issues.
Hayes says during her time in office, she has worked to help people make ends meet.
"I have supported paying workers a fair wage, raising the minimum wage. I have supported affordable housing," she said.. "Thirty-six percent of people’s income goes to housing costs. And in my district, it is particularly problematic."
The cost of housing is the second most important issue among voters in her district, according to the Emerson poll. Hayes endorses Harris’ housing plans, which include funding for home construction, plus tax breaks for builders and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
"One of the things I am particularly interested in is the vice president’s plan to build 3 million affordable housing units across the country," Hayes said. "To put our carpenters, electricians, plumbers back to work, to make sure those homes are available."
Logan agrees that western Connecticut has a housing problem.
"We need more housing. That cannot happen via the government, intervening for example in trying to build," Logan said. "We need local control to remain in our communities and we need to have less regulation so developers can actually build more homes."
Overall, Logan says reducing government spending and regulation will help the economy.
"I believe we need to lower taxes. Put more money in people’s taxes," he said. "We need to encourage entrepreneurs and businesses to grow and to hire more people. We need more people working. People want more job opportunities."
Regional differences
With inflation, voters across the state are feeling the squeeze — whether in the city, the country or the suburbs. Experts say the suburbs may be the deciding factor in both the 5th District and the presidential race.
"The core of this district, and part of the reason that it has been competitive for a long time, is the suburban areas," said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University.
The district was created to be competitive, according to McLean. When it was redrawn more than two decades ago, it combined a district held by a Democrat with a district held by a Republican.
"This has been exactly the kind of battleground that we are seeing in places like Pennsylvania for the presidential race," McLean said.
Towns around Waterbury and Danbury have a lot of less-predictable independent voters, he said, but unaffiliated voters who lean Democratic have kept the district blue.
Still, even big-city voters buck the polling trends.
Back at the early voting location in Waterbury, 37-year-old Daniel DeJesus said this was his first time voting. He said he is supporting Trump for president. He recently became a father and he has a job caring for disabled people.
"I feel like I have a reason to vote right now," DeJesus said. "The way this country has been going the last three years. It made me get up out of my seat and come and vote."
Connecticut Public's Mark Mirko and Connecticut Mirror’s Lisa Hagen contributed to this report.
