Himes takes nothing for granted in reelection bid
GREENWICH — Even with a political climate that seems to be favoring Democrats, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes says he is not taking anything for granted in his race for reelection.
Himes, 54, is facing challenges from Republican candidate Jonathan Riddle and Independent Party candidate Brian Merlen. If elected, this would be the Democratic congressman’s seventh term representing a district that was once a solid bedrock for Republicans, with
the seat held by Stewart McKinney and Christopher Shays for decades.
“This is a seat that has absolutely become more blue, and Donald Trump has alienated huge numbers of independents along with meaningful numbers of Republicans,” said Himes, who lives in Greenwich. “But as I like to say, this is one of those seats that’s borrowed, not owned. When the Republican Party finds its way back to Mitt Romney and John McCain, it will be a contested district once again. I’ve been doing my work, and you never take anything for granted.”
The 4th Congressional District stretches along the Connecticut shoreline and includes Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, part of Shelton, Stamford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton. He won the seat in 2018 with 61 percent of the vote.
Looking ahead, Himes says he feels “pretty good” about his own reelection chances as well as Democrat Joe Biden defeating President Donald Trump and the Democrats gaining a majority in the U.S. Senate. But Himes is quick to note that he felt the same way four years ago.
“I always combine a healthy dose of paranoia with a little bit of humility,” Himes said.
If elected, his priority would be to “do what should have been done eight months ago” and help put together “a truly aggressive, coordinated response to COVID,” he said. Saying Trump, “bungled this beyond belief,” Himes said the federal government must address nationwide shortages in ventilators, PPE and other supplies. There should be a coordinated nationwide strategy to duplicate Connecticut’s success in reducing virus rates through mask wearing, social distancing and other practices, he said.
And with millions still out of work, another economic stimulus package is also needed, Himes said.
“That stimulus has got to be about transportation infrastructure,” he said. “Finally, we have to rebuild the bridges and buy the new rail cars.”
Himes also wants improvements in health care, calling on Congress to “build on the success of the Affordable Care Act” and “make sure there is nobody in this country who feels the insecurity of not having access to our health care system.”
COVID is top concern of constituents
Through interactions with his constituents through social media, Himes said he has learned about the issues they are focused on.
“For the last eight months, COVID and associated economic pain have been topics Nos. 1, 2 and 3,” Himes said. “I also have heard for the last four years a great deal of anxiety about President Trump. He is not well liked in this Congressional district and that is a sentiment that runs the political spectrum, not just Democrats.”
Himes said his day-today work is “very focused” on the coronavirus and its impact on the economy. He said he was “very proud of the speed” in which Congress came together to pass the original CARES Act in March, which Himes called a “lifeline for our small businesses and the unemployed.” The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act supplied $2.2 trillion in economic stimulus.
But passage of a second CARES Act has stalled. The Democrat-led House has passed two versions of the bill, but it has not been brought up for a vote in the Republican-led Senate.
And while Himes said the Senate could pass a bill and Trump could sign it, but “I wouldn’t bet my house on it.”
Times have changed
For Himes, the last four years have been different than the first eight he spent in Washington.
“I’ve had to play a very different role than I’m used to as a member of Congress,” he said. “My constituents have had a very different experience under President Trump than I think they’ve ever experienced. Connecticut’s Fourth District always had lots of Republicans, lots of Democrats and lots of good conversation and argument.
“But it never really had the feeling that a president may be eroding our Democratic underpinnings and a president may be sliding us toward autocracy,” Himes said. “A lot of people feel that way so I find myself having to both reassure people, because I am an optimist about our system, and in some cases comfort people scared people, while also having to be more aggressive than I’m used to.”
Himes said he looks for compromise and bipartisan agreement, but said the president “oversteps” in using the power of his office have made him more aggressive in how he pushes back. Himes supported impeachment and has been a vocal critic of Trump’s behavior.
“I really believe in compromise but when the president says Proud Boys should ‘stand by’ or that he may not accept the results of the election, I shout from the rooftops,” Himes said. “If the president holds up American aid to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on his political opponent, I shout from the rooftops. I’ve had to get used to a very different role, which I regard as standing up for the basic underpinnings of our democracy and in some cases basic decency.”
Although the Republican Party has become a “cult of personality” around Trump, there are also issues that Democrats must face, he said.
“Neither party is speaking to the economic anxiety and pain that is out there. How do I know that? Because in 2016 none of the conventional candidates, Hillary Clinton on my side and 10 of them on the other side, including one named Bush, got any traction,” Himes said.
“Instead the two people who had excitement around them were Donald Trump, a showman who said the system was rigged, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who also said the system rigged.”
Saying that he feels “the Republican Party has lost its moorings in a very scary way by being silent in the face of a wannabe dictator and silent in the face of an awful lot of racial bigotry,” Himes added that Democrats must address the economic issues that Sanders raised during his campaigns.
“Americans are being left behind and only when that is addressed are people going to be less open to snake oil salesmen like Donald Trump or the message that the system is completely rigged,” Himes said. “At the heart of that is the need to address the economic pain that is so intense around this country.”