August 26, 2022

In This Issue:
From Paddi's Desk
CT Agency Corner
Municipal Roundup
Inside Scoop
This Day in CT History

This Week's News:

MCENROE: Independent Party brings the fun to CT Election 2022


Secretary of the State says it can't help Bob Stefanowski in Independent Party dilemma

Where Have They Gone? 


The moderate voice in Connecticut politics is getting lost these days. If the primary election earlier in the month didn't clearly demonstrate that, then I'm not sure what will. 


In my opinion, many of the moderate Republican candidates didn’t fare so well come 8pm when the votes were counted. Several candidates who thought the race would be tight didn't see success. Yesterday, I was with a couple of moderate thinkers and we could not believe what happened on primary day. We kind of realized there was a strong contingent of Republicans on the right but thought the established party candidates would have earned their place on the November ballots, and the party moderates would support their efforts.


Last week, I mentioned voter turnout and now you can see what happens when it's low and concentrated on the “passionate” section of each party. Even in the Democratic primary, the party endorsed candidates in certain races weren't successful despite a very strong town committee operation.


At the federal level, there are concerned Democrats that speak often about what the November elections will bring if voter turnout is low. As moderate elected officials try to bring back civility and collaboration by working in a bipartisan manner to solve a problem with realistic solutions, they should be concerned that this admirable mission will work against them if they become too high profile. You might recall right after the 2018 presidential election, a group of Democratic congress members organized the “problem solvers caucus” and they appealed to Speaker Pelosi as she was lining up votes for a repeat performance as the house speaker in DC. Their major request was to change the rules that would make it easier for bipartisan ideas to be considered. They were effective in convincing Speaker Pelosi by playing an old Bill Clinton TV campaign ad where he firmly states that he was “honored to have been given the opportunity to stand up for the values and interests of the ordinary American.” The ad went on to highlight initiatives of welfare reform, tax cuts for the middleclass - (he was clear he meant the traditional middle class) death penalty for drug kingpins, banning "cop killer" bullets, capital gains tax cuts for home owners, balancing the budget to grow the economy, etc. etc. 


Now do you think in 2024 the Democratic candidate will be espousing these moderate views? I’ m not convinced that will happen.


As the Republicans across the country seem to be waging a dangerous cultural war, the Democrats seem to - at least on the national level - be appeasing the base voters instead of the moderate leg of the Democratic Party. This November, we’ll see if what some are calling the “red wave” will hit Connecticut. With five congressmen up for re-election and one US senator, our typical blue state has some rumblings in the western parts, as a tight race is on the watch list.


At home in the CT legislature, you might recall the formation of the Blue Dog Democrats, where house members took up the middle of the party platform. They were effective not so much in “killing” the progressive agenda at each turn, but many times in moderating it to reflect the majority of CT residents. After all, if you put those voters registered as Republicans and unaffiliated together you have enough votes to seriously challenge the Democrats - the trick is how to gather the moderate factions of each party and create the best version of Connecticut through negotiation, compromise and collaboration. 


As they say, you got to leave the guns at the door. 


So as we hit Labor Day, the fireworks return. You’ll be the bombarded with tv/radio and social media ads as well as front page news stories about how each one of the candidates has got the solution. Your mailbox will be filled with campaign literature. I bet even your neighborhood gatherings will be discussing the upcoming November election. 


Some Republicans will equate all Democrats as “the far left” and some Democrats will label all Republicans as “ trumpers”, but we need to take a breath and remember that the candidates running for CT office are our neighbors, friends, colleagues, members of the school boards, volunteers in the community, little league coaches. If elected, they will still be the people you know. And if you’re concerned about the disappearing moderates as I am, you’ll look for those folks who dare to think with civility, collaboration and a focus on fixing what's wrong, not taking down what they don't like. 


Take a pledge to keep that “national attitude” out of Connecticut and focus on this small little community of 3.6 million people (after all in some places that's the size of a city!) and look for candidates who really are trying to do what’s best for CT in the long term, not just poking the bear to make a point. Dare I say - look at the Democrat or Republican candidate for each race and don’t judge the book by its cover.


Deal?

Absentee Ballots


With the primary behind us and the general election starting to come into focus, state officials are taking a look at the lessons learned from this election. Specifically, after two years of massive absentee ballot numbers due to COVID, where are people preferring to vote? Are they more likely to vote absentee this year or in person? The answer, at least in Bridgeport, is that absentee ballots appear to be quite popular. 


Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populous city, also features the most registered Democrats in the state, roughly 41,000. Of the 5,456 Democrats who voted citywide in this years primaries, 1,850 votes were tabulated as absentee, about one third, according to reporting statistics from the Office of the Secretary of the State (SOTS). Statewide Dem turnout was about 14 percent with Bridgeport about 13 percent. Primary turnout is notoriously lower than general elections. Just to compare a likewise city, 5,339 Dems voted in New Haven, with 459 counted as absentee. 

More Electric Cars Enter State Rebate Program: How Much Can You Expect to Save?


The state this month made big waves that piggybacks off of the federal legislation related to rebates for electric vehicles.


Effective immediately, the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) will offer to in-state residents that purchase or lease an eligible vehicle an incentive amount of $4,250 for an eligible new battery electric (BEV), $2,250 for a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), and up to $9,500 for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). There were over 20 eligible vehicles available and the list this month that added ten additional vehicles continues to grow, as the list now numbers at 32 eligible vehicles. Here is a list of those vehicles that are eligible CHEAPR-New-Eligible-Vehicle-List-Modified-7-22-2022.pdf (ct.gov)


Funnily enough, despite their popularity, Teslas are not eligible for the state rebate but are now eligible for the federal credit. Prior to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Tesla vehicles were not eligible for the Federal tax credit but now are eligible for the program. The cars that are listed for the state credit must also be sold by a licensed car dealer, which means Tesla’s in CT are not eligible for the state credit. As per the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, the clean fuel rebate will be available on sedans priced up to $55,000, as well as vans, SUVs, and trucks with MSRPs up to $80,000.

Challenging Ballot Spots, in Court


Many times during campaigns, those working to become elected officials find themselves chomping at the bit to be on the ballot as many times as possible. Most would be happy with one “line on the ballot,” but given the nature of the voting booth, having several ballot lines means garnering more votes. The more times your name is on the ballot, the better. Think about the Working Families Party endorsement of Ned Lamont in 2018 and 2022 providing him with another line on the ballot separate from the Democratic Party line. Just this week, Republican backed candidate Bob Stefanowski tried to get the Independent Party endorsement, losing out to a late-night recount in Guilford. This holds true for new candidates working to simply get themselves on the ballot once, that includes people like Councilman Marcus Brown in Bridgeport as well as Muad Hrezi, a candidate who hoped to unseat Congressman John Larson.


For Hrezi, he raised over $500K, an outrageous amount for a newcomer, setting himself up to challenge Congressman Larson but didn’t win the endorsement and lost the battle to get on the ballot by not getting enough signatures of support. He then challenged the decision in court, claiming that keeping him off the ballot was not only unconstitutional, but also citing the impact COVID had on people wanting to get out and support him. There's a gentle reminder here that doing the work and knocking on doors matter. The court ruled that his challenge did not hold water and he was thus held off the ballot two weeks ago. Stefanowski is important here because you may remember that he skipped the normal nominating convention in 2018 and petitioned his way onto the primary ballot for the Republican Party, winning the nomination. Hrezi’s court challenge fell short and while he did not get on the ballot, the court’s decision is interesting to say the least.


For Councilman Brown, the court challenge may be different. As we discussed in last week’s blog, the recount in the State Rep race was challenged by Brown after he won – lost the recount – and is now looking to fight this battle in court. He is even hosting a fundraiser for himself to get some support to pay for the lawyer he needs. The court decision will be levied today and Brown’s request for a hand recount of ALL the votes, just may happen.


Endorsements, signatures, ballot initiatives, and recounts. Whether it is Bridgeport, Hartford, or a statewide race like Stefanowski’s, there is no shortage of drama this summer. Sometimes, the court has to decide these dramatic decisions and let’s be honest, we are very much here for it.

August 26th: 42 Years After Independence, CT Finally Gets a Constitution


Today in 1818, delegates to the state’s first ever Constitutional Convention gathered at the State House in Hartford for the first time, charged with the formidable task of restructuring Connecticut state government by creating the state’s first formally written constitution.


Writing a new constitution was no small task, given the social, cultural, and political upheaval Connecticut was going through at the time. The Industrial Revolution was upending Connecticut’s economy and residents were leaving in droves to find better opportunities in western lands. An increase in cultural and religious diversity put enormous pressure on the state to dis-establish itself from the Congregational Church. Bitter partisan bickering between Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans had permeated every facet of Connecticut politics. All these made continuing to govern under the informal and largely unwritten terms of Connecticut’s 1662 Charter no longer possible.



In fact, it seemed like the only thing a plurality of Connecticans could agree upon is that 42 years after American independence, it was time for a change. The state had been governed by the same set of laws — and the same tightly-knit, elite political class known as the “Standing Order” — since the mid-17th century. Spurred by the democratic rhetoric that flourished during the American Revolution, a diverse coalition of political outsiders began agitating for change in how state government was structured. With the rapid collapse of the Federalist party following the War of 1812, and a sharp rise in Jeffersonian-style populism, this coalition gathered enough support to call for a statewide Constitutional Convention in 1818. On July 4 of that year, Connecticut voters in every township gathered to select a total of 195 delegates who would help usher in a new chapter in state government. After selecting Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr. to serve as president of the convention, the delegates then appointed a 24-member committee to draft a new written constitution.


Amid this mix of competing pressures and interest groups, the 24-member committee managed to deliver a complete draft of a new state constitution in only a week’s time, most of it written by Wolcott himself. Among the many significant changes proposed in the document were the disestablishment of the Congregational Church, the implementation of universal white male suffrage, a comprehensive list of unalienable individual rights, and the reorganization of state government into three distinct executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The delegates would spend the next few weeks debating and revising the draft before submitting a final version to a public referendum in October. A critical and important step was taken toward Connecticut’s first constitution that was both written and ratified by the people themselves, today in Connecticut history.

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To view the full story on the CT Historian's website, click here.

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www.ctlobby.com | (860) 560-0000