In addition to candidate op-eds, our Special Election Issue also provides each political town committee with the opportunity to submit one, 600-word op-ed on behalf of its endorsed candidates running to represent Wilton, and/or platform. More information is available in GMW’s Election Guidelines and Policies.
Democrats know how to govern.
Obama, Trump, and Biden each enjoyed one two-year term where their party controlled both congressional chambers. That’s when you learn what they truly care about.
Obama used his opportunity for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Obamacare, Dodd-Frank Wall Street reforms, revised START Treaty, and more.
Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act (including first-ever pharma negotiations and dramatic climate initiatives), the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (after Trump’s comic, weekly, failed promises), and the CHIPS Act (smart industrial policy for jobs and national security, versus Trump’s inflationary tariffs), and more.
In contrast, Trump’s one signature law was his flawed tax cut which delivered windfall breaks to the wealthiest Americans, while adding $1.9 trillion to our national deficits, failing to increase capital expenditure, R&D, or employment, and significantly increasing taxes for virtually every Wilton homeowner by capping state and local tax deductions. Trump also 1) blocked funding for organizations that provide abortions, 2) banned Muslim travelers, and 3) appointed the first of three Supreme Court justices who eventually overturned Roe (and multiple other destructive breaks from precedent). If re-elected, Trump’s chaotic, divisive priorities will absolutely include a nationwide abortion ban.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will build upon Biden’s successes, recognizing that our post-covid economy has performed better than any other Western democracy, inflation is back down (currently 2.4%), unemployment is at historic lows, and illegal immigration is equal to the end of Trump’s disastrous four years (even though Trump harpooned the bi-partisan immigration bill — for purely political reasons). Harris will fight for reproductive rights, continue working toward bi-partisan immigration reform, address the housing crisis, and focus on middle-class opportunity. Harris gives voters the courtesy of actually answering questions, even in unfriendly settings like FOX. In comparison, Trump refuses debates and offers rambling, disrespectful nonanswers that careen through a cascade of racism and sexism, confused riffs on 1980s pop culture, and a bloated diet of untruths and self-aggrandizement.
Senator Chris Murphy and Congressman Jim Himes are essential voices in Washington. Murphy remains a leader on gun safety and is a thought leader on the emotional health of our country. Himes is deeply respected as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. He’ll become majority leader of the Intelligence Committee when Democrats regain control.
Democratic competence starts in Connecticut. The Lamont administration has provided over $1.1 billion in middle-class tax cuts, ended state taxes on most retirement and pension funds, prepaid over $8 billion of long-term debt, and grown our rainy-day fund to historic levels. Beyond fiscal discipline, CT Democrats have expanded protections for reproductive rights, passed paid family medical leave, and enacted the country’s strongest gun safety protections. Senator Ceci Maher was raised in this district, conducted her formidable not-for-profit career in this district, and raised her own children in this district. She is as “local” as it gets and is highly regarded in Hartford where in her one term she has risen to Senate Deputy President Pro Temps, chair of the Children’s Committee, and vice chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. Savet Constantine will be a strong partner in the State House. Savet is a former marketing executive and an established Wilton community leader. She is a former PTA president at the Wilton Public Schools and a leader on the PTA Council. She has been a strong, vocal advocate for local control of our classrooms, and provided leading legislative testimony when school regionalization was considered in Hartford several years ago.
Wilton, Connecticut, and our country will be stronger with these Democrats in office.