Case Study Two: The Tale of Connecticut

In Hartford County, Connecticut, lies the town of Plainville. A population of approximately 18,000 live in Plainville, a quaint suburb of New Britain, its neighboring city. Plainville sits at the intersection of two railroad lines, and is even home to Robertson Field, Connecticut’s oldest private airport. Since 1960, it has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee all but four times – the Republican landslides of 1972 and 1984, and twice for Donald Trump, albeit by narrow margins. Neighboring New Britain, like most cities, is a Democratic stronghold.¹

The 22nd District in the Connecticut House of Representatives consists of the entirety of Plainville, plus a small slice of New Britain. From 1995 to 2017, the district was represented by Rep. Betty Boukus, an 11-term Democrat from Plainville. But in 2016, as Hillary Clinton edged out a narrow 3% victory in the 22nd District, Rep. Boukus was defeated for re-election by a whopping 20 points to a first-time candidate, Dr. William Petit.²

From winning re-election in 2014 by 20% to losing it in 2016 by 20%, one’s first thought might be that Rep. Boukus got ensnared in a scandal – campaign finance violations or a gaffe on a hot mic. But none of that happened. By all accounts, the race was cordial: “[Rep. Boukus] said Petit ran a fair race, then hugged him, and [said] that once Petit takes office, ‘he will become my state representative.’“³

Indeed, Dr. Petit might have been a first-time candidate, but he was no stranger to voters:

“Over the past 10 years, Petit has had to develop his own skills for living. His old life in Cheshire with his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, was abruptly ripped away on July 23, 2007. His family was murdered and their home was set aflame. He was badly beaten and left for dead.”⁴

Petit’s experience as the only survivor of the deadly 2007 Cheshire home invasion in Connecticut made him a household name across the state. In addition, he already had roots in the 22nd House District: the Hartford Courant reported that the “Petit family is an institution in Plainville,” with family members serving on the local town council, Chamber of Commerce, and school board, in addition to running Petit’s General Store for many years.⁵

Indeed, his “name recognition made his candidacy instant news statewide and beyond, … wip[ing] out the edge that incumbency usually provides and skew[ing] the normal dynamics of races between a veteran lawmaker and a first-time candidate.”³

In 2018, now-Representative Petit beat back a Democratic challenger, 65% - 35%, overperforming Donald Trump by 19%, one of the best Republican overperformances in the nation. He subsequently ran unopposed in 2020.

But name recognition alone was not the only key to Rep. Petit’s success. A “classic Northeastern Republican,” he has racked up a collection of liberal and conservative positions.⁴ For example, progressives might like him for being pro-choice (75% from NARAL), and pro-environment (70% from the League of Conservation Voters). Pro-business, he scored an 100% from the NFIB and 87% from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. On that all-important issue, guns, he has a mixed record, rated ~40% by both the NRA and LEAP Forward, a gun control advocacy group. And finally, he scores a fitting 50% from the American Conservative Union, indicating his willingness to break from party orthodoxy.⁶

However, just as with Del. Boggs in West Virginia, Rep. Petit secured these strong victories even as Democrats gained 18 Connecticut House seats from the Republicans over the past two election cycles.⁷

The downballot realignment hasn’t hit Rep. Petit yet, and for good reason: he is a candidate with strong name recognition and goodwill in the area, whilst also moderating his policy positions. In Connecticut’s 22nd House District, local issues still are able to trump partisanship, and by large margins, too. The Rockefeller Republicans might be dead in the rest of the country, but they live on in Plainville – for now.

Works Cited & Notes

¹ Connecticut Secretary of State, General Election Statements of Vote.

² Kasab, Solly. CT House data sourced from OurCampaigns.

³ Leukhardt, Bill. “William Petit Jr. Unseats Longtime Incumbent Betty Boukus.” Hartford Courant, 2016.

⁴ Altimari, Daniella. “From Years Of Despair, Petit Rebuilds Family, New Life.” Hartford Courant, 2017.

⁵ Blair, Russell. “Dr. William Petit Running For State Legislature In Plainville.” Hartford Courant, 2016.

⁶ VoteSmart, William Petit Ratings.

⁷ Ballotpedia, Connecticut House of Representatives Elections 2020.