Gov. He took the stage at the state Democratic Party convention Saturday when Ned Lamont came out swinging.
The governor for Accepting the Party’s Nomination, Lamont kicked off his speech with a nod to his opponent, Bob Stefanowski, who received the GOP nomination Friday night.
“Last night, I was watching a little bit of the Republican convention,” Lamont said. “And one thing Bob said I sort of agreed with. He said, ‘So much can happen in four years.’ I’ll tell you, Bob, what happened in the last four years. ”
Lamont said Connecticut was “in trouble” when he took office four years ago. He called out the “multibillion-dollar deficit,” and said the state’s transportation fund “was on fumes.” Today, the economy looks different, he said.
“This state has ever seen a budget surplus and the biggest tax cuts in three years,” he said, his voice rising to a higher pitch. The Xfinity Theater at Delegates Whooped.
The governor knows that his record on the economy is one of the strongest cases he can make in voters this year. Over Lamont’s first term, the state’s finances have been replaced by alarming deficits from fat surpluses, and he made sure to remind his party of this weekend’s convention.
Republicans in this election cycle as they seek to lay out a narrative of Democratic fiscal malfeasance.
“After 40 years of a Democratically controlled legislature, Connecticut is the definition of a failed state – with billions and bills of debt to show for absolutely nothing,” Stefanowski said at the GOP convention Friday night. He has campaigned on a vow to make the state more affordable and focused on “fundamental values” of “personal freedom, individual liberty, and smaller government.”
But his handling of the pandemic came from his first term during But Lamont’s biggest approval boost. Lamont reminded Democrats that he kept schools and businesses open throughout most of the pandemic and supported industries like construction and manufacturing.
“We’ve done everything to keep this state going,” he said, “as well as their efforts for crowdfunding.” “We are led by example, we are treated with respect, we look out for each other.”
Alex Rodriguez, a delegate from Hartford, said he admired Lamont’s efforts to control the pandemic during the tenor debate.
“He did a good job staying away from the loud mouths and the voices that were always trying to tear things apart,” Rodriguez said. He also commended the Lamont administration for making tests and vaccines available in all areas of the state. “I think he tried to maintain a consistent message and that helped people bring down their fears.”
While the state’s labor market is still struggling to recover from the pandemic recession, Lamont has taken credit for the current abundance of job openings among Connecticut employers – even though many businesses are finding the need to fill more positions a challenge.
“Yeah, four years makes a difference, Bob,” Lamont said, calling out his opponent again. “Four years later, we have 150,000 good-paying jobs out there right now.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association is expressing frustration about the labor shortage. Following this year’s legislative session, which wrapped up this week, the business association also lamented the $ 500 million in federal unemployment loan debt that would cause businesses to repay.
“I feel like this is more of a general assembly than anybody,” Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, who owns a manufacturing company that employs 150 people in Connecticut. “Would I have liked a little bit more? Maybe. But I think it was a failure at the federal level, a year and a half ago.
Needleman characterized Lamont’s economic policy as “prudent” overall. “I think he tried to moderate some of the most progressive taxation impulses of Democrats. He’s been very thoughtful about that, ”Needleman said.
But, Needleman said, it’s about affordability, too – especially when it comes to energy prices.
“I’m afraid electric rates, heating your house with oil or gas, that’s going to impact a lot of people negatively. And I think that we have a number of people who can afford to pay their utility bills, ”he said.
Both Lamont and Stefanowski are businessmen. Stefanowski had a long career in corporate finance, with GE and UBS leading a global payday loan company. Before entering politics, Lamont was the founder of Campus Televideo, a company that specializes in cable systems, universities and gated communities.
“Now, you know, when the governor was there, there were those who doubted that a businessman could get things done in Hartford. He proved them wrong, ”Lt. Gov. Her nomination following the remarks in Susan Bysiewicz said.
She’s Alone Among the Long-listed Lamont Administration’s Economic Wins. That list includes the state’s pension debt, building up the budget surplus, raising the minimum wage, expanding the earned income tax credit, paying for a family medical leave, investing in education, job training and infrastructure, and cutting taxes.
“It was the budget that was the Democrats, the taxes that were the Democrats, and it was the Democrats who made sure we had the resources we needed to invest in the future,” Bysiewicz said.
