Christopher Shays

★ U.S. Representative

Born: October 18, 1945
Current age: 80
Home state: Connecticut
Party: Republican
On the ballot: 1988–2008

Career timeline

1988Rep 1990Rep 1992Rep 1994Rep 1996Rep 1998Rep

2000Rep 2002Rep 2004Rep 2006Rep 2008Rep

10-1

RecordWin–Loss

Total Popular Votes

Shays1.4M

Opponents874,945

Elections run

Between 1988 and 2008, Christopher Shays ran in 11 U.S. House elections, winning 10 and losing 1. Shays's biggest single-election total was 152,493 votes, in the 2004 U.S. House election in Connecticut's District 4. Shays's closest win came in the 2006 U.S. House election in Connecticut's District 4, decided by 7,060 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in Connecticut's District 4 or all 2008 U.S. House races.

How many votes has Christopher Shays received?

Christopher Shays has received 1,365,702 popular votes across 11 U.S. elections, with a career record of 10–1.

Election history

Christopher Shays’s election history
Year	Office	Result	Votes	Opponent(s)
2008	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Lost	146,85447.56%	James A. Himes Michael Anthony Carrano Richard Z. Duffee
2006	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	106,51050.96%	Diane Farrell (head-to-head) Philip Z. Maymin
2004	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	152,49352.43%	Diane Farrell (head-to-head)
2002	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	113,19764.43%	Stephanie H. Sanchez (head-to-head)
2000	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	119,15557.63%	Stephanie H. Sanchez (head-to-head) Daniel Gislao Frank M. Don
1998	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	94,76769.07%	Jonathan D. Kantrowitz (head-to-head) Marshall C. Harrison
1996	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	121,94960.46%	Bill Finch Edward H. Tonkin Terry M. Nevas (head-to-head)
1994	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	109,43674.41%	Jonathan D. Kantrowitz (head-to-head) Irving Sussman Terry M. Nevas (head-to-head)
1992	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	147,81667.31%	Dave Schropfer Al Smith (head-to-head) Ronald M. Fried
1990	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	105,68276.54%	Al Smith (head-to-head)
1988	U.S. HouseConnecticut	Won	147,84371.78%	Roger Pearson Nicholas J. Tarzia

Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (S001144) and Wikidata (Q1086964). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.

Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Christopher Shays: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/christopher-shays. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.