Jahana Hayes
DIncumbentFEC H8CT05245
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Raised this cycle$1.7M
Cash on hand: $1.1M
2026 race
CT-05 — U.S. House
2 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Jahana Hayes.
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See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Connecticut Secretary of the State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$2.3M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Chris Shea
RChallengerFEC H6CT05231
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Raised this cycle$466K
Cash on hand: $54K
Local signal
Early read on CT-05 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Jahana Hayesleans positive
1 pos7 neutral0 neg8 articles
Chris Shealeans negative
0 pos5 neutral2 neg7 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$2.3M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$2.3M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$140
$140 for · $0 against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jahana Hayes(D)incumbent + GIVEGREEN UNITED ACTION $130 + SIERRA CLUB INDEPENDENT ACTION $10 | $1.7M | $140 | — | $1.7M |
Chris Shea(R) | $466K | — | — | $466K |
2 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Michele Botelho(R)defeated | $56K | — | — | $56K |
Jonathan De Barros(R)defeated | $29K | — | — | $29K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside CT versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Jahana Hayes(D)23% in-state · $541K itemized
$125K in-state$416K out-of-state
Chris Shea(R)59% in-state · $240K itemized
$141K in-state$99K out-of-state
2 defeated candidates — show
Michele Botelho(R)defeated69% in-state · $21K itemized
$15K in-state$7K out-of-state
Jonathan De Barros(R)defeated95% in-state · $5K itemized
$5K in-state$250 out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Hayes | Shea | You |
|---|---|---|---|
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | ||
Agriculture Federal farm subsidies should be reduced and redirected toward smaller producers. | — | ||
Agriculture SNAP (food stamp) eligibility and benefit levels should be expanded. | — | ||
Education Federal Title IX protections should explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. | — | ||
Guns All gun sales — including private ones — should require a background check. | — | ||
Guns Civilian ownership of AR-15-style rifles should be restricted. | — | ||
Guns Federal law should authorize court-issued red-flag orders allowing temporary firearm removal from people deemed a danger. | — | ||
Healthcare The government should provide healthcare for everyone. | — | ||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | ||
Housing The government should spend more building affordable housing. | — | ||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — | ||
Taxes People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Chris Shea
- In weeks before election, how much did CT congressional candidates raise and spend?Hartford CourantOct 20
- Why CT Democrats are considering chance for outsized influence. ‘We’re going to punch well above our weight’Hartford CourantOct 8
- CT GOP joins Trump-centric midterm convention. See who headed to Texas to rub shoulders.Hartford CourantSep 10
- Judge dismisses CT candidate’s defamation case over ‘murderer’ commentHartford CourantSep 9
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.