Candidate · November 3, 2026

Joe Courtney

On the ballot for U.S. House · Connecticut's 2nd District

Democratic PartyIncumbent
raised through Oct 14, 2026
$967K
cash on hand
$386K
issues with public statements
6

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeU.S. House · Connecticut's 2nd District1,2
Party on the ballotDemocratic Party1,2,3
StatusIncumbent — Currently represents Connecticut's 2nd District in the U.S. House.4
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Joe Courtney graduated from Tufts University in 1975 and earned a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978.5 He worked as a public defender in Vernon and then in private practice, and served as Vernon's town attorney.5 He was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1986, where he chaired the Public Health and Human Services committees, and he ran for lieutenant governor in 1998.5 He was elected to the U.S. House in 2006 and serves on the Armed Services and Education and Workforce committees; he chaired the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces from 2018 to 2022 and is now its ranking member.5,6

Why they say they're running

His campaign website says he will keep working for eastern Connecticut so that future generations benefit from a better economy, education system and environment.5,7

Service in Congress since 2023

  • 2025–nowU.S. Representative, CT-24
  • 2023–2025U.S. Representative, CT-24

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Health Care

Health insurance system

His campaign website says he helped pass the Affordable Care Act and has proposed expanding Medicare to cover people 55 and older and creating a new public health care option.10

  1. One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
  2. Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
  3. Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
  4. Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Social Security and Medicare

Medicare drug price negotiation

His campaign website lists among his work helping pass a law that lets the federal government negotiate lower Medicare drug prices, caps out-of-pocket drug costs and limits annual price increases.10

Education

Student loan forgiveness

His campaign website says he is pushing to eliminate interest on federal student loans, let student debt be refinanced and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and that he wrote a bill to extend that program's debt relief to young farmers.11,12

  1. Narrow or end existing forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  2. Keep current forgiveness programs, with no new cancellation
  3. Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment
  4. Broad cancellation of student debt
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Agriculture and Rural Life

Visas for farmworkers

His campaign website says he supports the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to help farms, including year-round operations like dairies, hire the workers they need while making sure farmworkers are paid fairly.12

  1. Make the program easier and cheaper for farms, including for year-round work like dairy
  2. Keep the program as it is
  3. Raise required wages and worker protections
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Infrastructure and Transportation

Highway and transit funding

His campaign website says he helped pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which it says raised Connecticut's highway and other transit funding by 32%.13

Veterans

Veterans' disability and survivor benefits

His campaign website lists among his work a law extending Agent Orange coverage to Blue Water Navy veterans who served in the waters around Vietnam, and the PACT Act, which it says ensures that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get the same care for illnesses caused by toxic burn pits.14

§4Popular bills that never got a vote

Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.

While Joe Courtney served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. Joe Courtney sponsored or cosponsored 27 of the 52. How bills die without a vote.

See all 52

§5Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.

Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.67

Raised$966,514
Spent$932,047
Cash on hand$385,578

Where the money came from

Individual donors$428K · 44%
PACs and other political committees$533K · 55%
Other receipts (other loans, refunds, interest)$4,942 · 1%

§6Financial disclosures

Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.