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CONNECTICUT — As the vote totals came pouring in Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney was clearly on his way to another term in Congress.
Courtney, the incumbent Democrat, said he spoke with Republican challenger Mike France shortly after 11:30 p.m. and received congratulations.
“Thank you to all the people of eastern Connecticut for your support — today and over the years. It is the greatest honor of my life to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I never have, and never will, take it for granted,” Courtney said in declaring victory. “To all voters, including those who did not vote for me, I promise I will continue working every day to advance the common good.”
Courtney jumped out to an early lead. With the first 11 of 140 towns reporting, Courtney had amassed 9,555 votes to France’s 8,226. After two more towns reported, the lead was 12,986 to 11,155.
Courtney maintained the pace with a 31,799 to 29,162 lead with 25 towns reporting.
With 37 percent of the vote in at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Courtney’s lead was up to 70,095 to 59,100.
Shortly after midnight, Courtney had amassed a lead of 118,145 to 91,023 with 57 percent of the tally in. A half-hour later, it was 129,747 to 99,887.
“While we don’t yet have final numbers, at this point a potential path to victory seems remote,” France said. “Congressman Courtney and I spoke a few moments ago and I congratulated him on a good, clean race and wished him well in his ongoing service to the Second Congressional District for the next two years.
“I am proud of the race we ran and the work we put in, and am humbled by the outpouring of support from across eastern Connecticut this cycle. A mere ‘thank you’ is insufficient to express my gratitude for the volunteers and grassroots effort that make CT-02 so special. While disappointing, this likely result has not extinguished my passion for public service, and I look forward to regrouping with my family—after some much-needed rest and recovery—and discussing my future plans.”
Courtney, 71, hails from Vernon and France, 61, calls Ledyard his home.
Courtney was first elected to the seat in 2006 and currently serves as the second-highest ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and as a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
Two decades earlier, Courtney had his first taste of public service when, in 1986, Vernon Democrats sought a candidate for the 56th State House seat in Connecticut. He won, and, as state representative, Courtney served as chairman of the House Public Health and Human Services Committees, along with chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Insurance, where he pushed reforms that resulted in “increased access and better health care for all Connecticut citizens.”
In 1998, Courtney ran for lieutenant governor and lost on the ticket with Barbara Kennelly, but was elected to Congress four years later.
He had a busy day in the district Tuesday. He made two stops in his hometown of Vernon and then visited Ellington, Mansfield, East Hampton, East Lyme, Montville and Norwich before settling in at a results watch party at the Hotel Callista in Norwich.
“Wow … I feel like a dinosaur,” Courtney said early Tuesday morning after voting in person at Vernon Center Middle School. He was alluding to the plethora of early votes cast under the state’s new system.
Turning serious, Courtney said there is “a lot of to-do items” in Washington and “they are coming fast.”
Two he pointed out are a massive Navy contract for submarines that will be “the biggest shipbuilding contract ever.”
He also pointed out potential revisions in the tax laws, particularly in terms of claiming property and casualty losses and family tax credits.
“I have heard loud and clear the desire from all corners to restore civility and stability, not only in the halls of Congress, but in our nation’s public arena and discourse, which is essential to unify our great nation,” Courtney said.