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1987 Connecticut's 4th congressional district special election

A special election was held on August 18, 1987 to determine the next member of the United States House of Representatives for Connecticut's 4th congressional district. The election was held to complete the unexpired term of Stewart McKinney, who died on May 7, 1987.

1987 Connecticut's 4th congressional district special election
← 1986
August 18, 1987
1988 →
Turnout33.6%[1]
 
Nominee Chris Shays Christine M. Niedermeier
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 50,518 37,293
Percentage 57.17% 42.21%
U.S. Representative before election

Stewart McKinney
Republican

 Elected U.S. Representative

Chris Shays
Republican

Chris Shays, a State Representative from Stamford, beat Democratic opponent Christine M. Niedermeier, the nominee for this district in 1986 and a former State Representative from Fairfield.

Shays would go on to represent the district until eventually losing re-election to Jim Himes in 2008.

Republican primary

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State representative Ralph E. Van Norstrand, who was widely considered the front-runner early on in the race, dropped out on June 4 for personal reasons. Fellow state representative William H. Nickerson attempted to contest the convention, but dropped out on June 27 after it became apparent that most of the delegates from his home town of Greenwich supported businessman John T. Becker.[2]

The Republican convention was held on June 29 inside the Norwalk High School auditorium. There were 124 delegates to the convention in total. In order to win the party endorsement, a majority was needed, or 63 votes. To be able to force a primary, it required 20%, or 25 votes on any ballot.

The official vote for the first ballot was 51 for Rich, 34 for Becker, 21 for Shays, and 18 for Metsopoulos. On the second roll call, Rich's support rose to 52, Becker received 35, Shays declined to 20, and Metsopoulos garnered 17 votes. Shays' candidacy appeared in jeopardy. Then, in the pivotal move of the convention, Fairfield First Selectman Jacquelyn Durrell, a delegate who had voted as part of the unanimous Fairfield bloc for Metsopoulos, switched her vote to Shays. This move was quickly imitated by three other Fairfield delegates, and Shays suddenly had 24 votes, one short of the 25 threshold needed to force a primary. Then, Eleanor Yudain, a delegate from Stamford announced she was switching her vote from Becker to Shays "to allow a good friend a chance at a primary." On the third ballot, the Fairfield delegation unanimously stuck to Metsopoulos, and along with defections from Becker, it allowed him to garner 35 votes, reaching well above the threshold to enter the primary. Rich received 53, and both Becker and Shays garnerned 18. At the end of the third ballot, the convention adjourned, with four candidates advancing to the July 21 primary.[3][4]

Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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  • John T. Becker, Greenwich businessman and nominee for state treasurer in 1982.
  • Frank D. Rich Jr., Darien developer.
  • John G. Metsopoulos, state representative for the 132nd district from Fairfield.

Withdrew

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Disqualified

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Declined

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Convention

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Republican convention, June 29
Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Votes % Votes % Votes %
Frank D. Rich Jr. 51 41.1% 52 41.9% 53 42.8%
John Metsopoulos 18 14.5% 13 10.5% 35 28.2%
John Becker 34 27.4% 34 27.4% 18 14.5%
Chris Shays 21 17.0% 25 20.2% 18 14.5%
Inactive Ballots 0 ballots 0 ballots 0 ballots

Results

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July 21, 1987 Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chris Shays 11,142 38.50%
Republican John T. Becker 7,740 26.74%
Republican Frank D. Rich Jr. 7,185 24.82%
Republican John G. Metsopoulos 2,876 9.94%
Total votes 28,943 100.00%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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  • Christine Niedermeier, former state representative for the 134th district from Fairfield and nominee for this district in 1986.

Eliminated in primary

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  • Margaret E. Morton, state senator for the 23rd district from Bridgeport.
  • Michael G. Morgan, chairman of the Stamford Board of Finance and nominee for this district in 1978.

Withdrew

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Convention

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Democratic convention, June 30[9]
Candidate Round 1
Votes %
Margaret E. Morton 80 38.65%
Christine Niedermeier 71 34.30%
Michael G. Morgan 56 27.05%
Inactive Ballots 0 ballots

Results

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July 21, 1987 Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Christine Niedermeier 13,422 52.60%
Democratic Margaret E. Morton 7,143 27.99%
Democratic Michael G. Morgan 4,954 19.41%
Total votes 25,519 100.00%

General election

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Results

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Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District special election, 1987[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chris Shays 50,518 57.17%
Democratic Christine M. Niedermeier 37,293 42.21%
War Against AIDS Nicholas J. Tarzia 524 0.59%
Write-in 28 0.03%
Total votes 88,363 100.00%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ↑ Christopher Keating (August 19, 1987). "34% turnout 'phenomenal' - Shays' margin exceeds McKinney's in 1986". Stamford Advocate – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Mary McGee (June 27, 1987). "Nickerson may drop out of 4th District GOP race". The Norwalk Hour.
  3. ↑ Robert Roehr (July 1, 1987). "GOP will have 4-way primary". Westport News – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Charles F.J. Morse (June 30, 1987). "4 Republicans qualify for House Runoff". Hartford Courant – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Avice Meehan (June 4, 1987). "Van Norstrand drops out, Cunningham drops in". Stamford Advocate – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Jim Callahan (August 17, 1987). "Stamford Republican fails to force primary". Bridgeport Telegram – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Michele Jacklin (May 20, 1987). "Belaga decides against bid to fill 4th District vacancy". Hartford Courant – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Beth Cooney; Steven Crabill (June 26, 1987). "Norwalk mayor aborts bid for 4th District nomination". Stamford Advocate – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Steven Crabill (July 1, 1987). "1 ballot, 3 Democratic candidates". Stamford Advocate – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Special election - Vote for Representative in Congress, August 18, 1987 - Fourth Congressional district". Connecticut Secretary of State.
  11. ↑ "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1988". Connecticut State Library.
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