1996Final results
1996 election for Connecticut's 1st District
U.S. House · Connecticut
Barbara Kennelly (D) won with 73.5% of the vote, defeating Kent Sleath (R) by 48.6 points.
Barbara KennellyDemocrat · winner
73.5%158,222
Kent SleathRepublican
24.9%53,666
John F. Forry IIIOther party
1.0%2,099
Daniel A. WasielewskiNatural Law
0.5%1,149
215,136 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Barbara KennellyKent Sleath
$580.2K
Raised by the campaign
$8.5K
$543K
Spent by the campaign
$8.5K
$87.5K
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Barbara Kennelly (D)Kent Sleath (R)
Also on the ballot: John F. Forry III (Other party), 1.0%; Daniel A. Wasielewski (Natural Law), 0.5%