Elizabeth Esty

Elizabeth Esty
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 5th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byChris Murphy
Succeeded byJahana Hayes
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 103rd district
In office
January 7, 2009 – January 5, 2011
Preceded byAl Adinolfi
Succeeded byAl Adinolfi
Personal details
Born
Elizabeth Henderson

(1959-08-25) August 25, 1959 (age 64)
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1984)
Children3
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Elizabeth Esty (née Henderson; born August 25, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut's 5th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A Democrat, she previously was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the 103rd Assembly District, which consisted of Cheshire and parts of Hamden and Wallingford. She also served two terms on the Cheshire Town Council. The 5th congressional district spans central and northwest Connecticut, including Waterbury, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Torrington, Litchfield County, the Farmington Valley, Newtown, and Esty's hometown of Cheshire.

Esty defeated two challengers in the August 14, 2012, Democratic primary to become the Democratic nominee in Connecticut's 5th congressional district, and on November 6, 2012, she defeated challenger Andrew Roraback. Esty defeated Mark Greenberg on November 4, 2014, in the state's most competitive district to win her first re-election.[1] On November 8, 2016, Esty defeated Sherman First Selectman Clay Cope by a margin of 58%–42% to win re-election a second time.[2]

In early 2018, Esty faced public criticism after news reports revealed that her former chief of staff had been accused of sexual harassment and threats of violence against staff but that she kept him on the payroll for another three months and wrote him a positive letter of reference.[3] After initially insisting she would continue to serve, Esty announced that she would not seek reelection.[4][5] She cited her failure to protect women on her staff from sexual harassment and threats of violence from her former chief of staff.[6] Jahana Hayes succeeded Esty in Congress.

  1. ^ Levin Becker, Arielle; Collins, Melissa (November 4, 2014). "Esty beats Greenberg in Key 5th District". The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  2. ^ "Full 2016 election results: Connecticut House 05". CNN. 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  3. ^ Stack, Liam (April 2, 2018). "Elizabeth Esty, Saying She Mishandled Abuse Claim, Won't Defend House Seat". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica; Lee, MJ (March 30, 2018). "Congresswoman who kept on top aide after learning of abuse allegations not resigning". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 2, 2018). "Elizabeth Esty just bowed to the inevitable". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Becker, Amanda; Cowan, Richard (April 2, 2018). "Connecticut Rep. Elizabeth Esty not seeking re-election". AOL. Reuters.

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