PolitiFinder

1980 Connecticut U.S. House District 5 Election

Connecticut · 2 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. House race

Who won the 1980 Connecticut U.S. House District 5 Election?

William R. Ratchford won the 1980 Connecticut U.S. House District 5 Election. William R. Ratchford received 117,316 popular votes (50.36%). The main challenger was Edward M. Donahue (49.63%).

See the full head-to-head between Ratchford and Donahue

Ratchford +0.7 pts · won by 1,702 votes
William R. RatchfordDemocraticWINNER50.36%
117,316 votes
Edward M. DonahueRepublican49.63%
115,614 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.