Connecticut: A state that gave the US its bicameral legislature

Named after the river of the same name, Connecticut owes its identity to the native Algoquian people who spoke the vanishing Mohegan-Pequot language. They described the Connecticut as the “long tidal river”. It is the longest river in what is called the New England region of the US. It is one of the smallest states in the US.

One of the original 13 colonies that stood up against the British, Connecticut formally became part of the American Union in 1788. Two state delegates from Connecticut are credited to propose the idea of bicameral legislature —the House of Representatives and the Senate— to settle the fight between Virginia and New Jersey in the Constitutional Convention formed after the American Revolution.

Who are the voters?

About 78 per cent of over 3.5 million people are White, 13 per cent Black and over five per cent Asian. The native American Indians are now less than one per cent in Connecticut, which is one of the highly developed states of America.

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How it has voted in the past

Connecticut has participated in all 59 US presidential elections held to date. In the first eight elections, Connecticut voted for Federalist candidates —George Washington’s ideas— and then for different nominees till 1848. From 1852, Connecticut has voted in phases for Democrats or Republicans.

Its alternating phase took a Blue turn in 1992 in the famous Bill Clinton election held after the collapse of the USSR that signalled the end of the Cold War. It has not voted for a Republican candidate since then.  

Connecticut held eight electoral votes from the 1930s through 2000. It dropped to seven in 2004. In the 2020 US presidential election, Connecticut gave Joe Biden a lead of 20 per cent over Republican Donald Trump.

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Has Connecticut given the US a president?

Yes, Connecticut is one of the 21 states that have given the US at least one president. Connecticut is among the 13 that gave one president each. Former US President George HW Bush (the senior Bush) was born in Connecticut.

The Senior Bush election was also the last time Connecticut voted for a Republican candidate — way back in 1988.  

Is Connecticut a swing state?

With eight Democratic votes in a row, Connecticut is not seen as a battleground state in the upcoming US presidential election.