Beneath a downtown Hartford mural that depicts leading women including Vice President Kamala Harris, top state Democrats met for a Tuesday morning news conference to express their support and enthusiasm for her presidential campaign. They also welcomed the introduction of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the Democratic nominee for vice president, an announcement which came just hours before.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal described Walz as authentic: “He is a straight-talking, plain-speaking. He is a champion of American values: hard work ethic, commitment to teachers and education, commitment to veterans and to public service as a way of life.”
Rep. John Larson (D-CT1) said, as a member of the House, Walz was an original sponsor of Larson’s Social Security 2100 Act. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT2), who also served with Walz and represents a largely rural district himself, says Walz appeals to suburban and rural voters: “We need somebody who can campaign for under-ticket House seats, Senate seats, whether it’s in Indiana, Ohio—Sherrod Brown, and Tim can really bring a lot to that.”
Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT5) agrees: “He can bring people together who are not strong Democrats, people who lean Republican, people who have different backgrounds, because he respects what they bring to the table and he’s willing to compromise.”
Gov. Ned Lamont has worked with Gov. Walz as part of the National Association of Governors: “Whenever you sit down for a governor’s association meeting, he’s the guy I always want to sit next to… I learn a lot and I have some fun. I just love the guy… a really good person who’s not in love with himself, but in love with the country.”
Connecticut Republicans were less charitable, issuing this statement from Chairman Ben Proto: “In short, the Harris-Walz far-left radical team wants to destroy the very fabric of America and take America and Americans to a place our founding fathers fought to get away from.”
Hayes dismisses suggestions that Walz is “too far left,” even for some Democrats: “If the metric for ‘too far left’ is feeding children and protecting women’s reproductive health, and protecting labor and LGBTQ rights and making sure we have stronger gun safety legislation, then I think that’s just about the right place for me and most of the people in this state.”