Lamont’s approval surging in pandemic
But extraordinary powers, federal money eventually will run out
HARTFORD — Only 13 months ago, Gov. Ned Lamont was wallowing in the political doldrums.
He had lost his signature issue — electronic highway tolls — in a high-profile fashion with an unpopular proposal that made him an unpopular governor. His approval ratings had plunged to one of the lowest in the nation for governors at 28%.
But that was then.
Since then, Lamont has made a complete turnaround as a can-do, CEO governor who has almost single-handedly ruled the state with 91 executive orders over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic.
He has governed without a pesky legislature blocking him as it did on highway tolls. He has been able to move quickly and act decisively. And he has become the face of the pandemic in Connecticut with televised press conferences at least twice a week for one hour as he leans into his strength as a career CEO in a job that now needs the skills of a chief executive. The administration realized that Lamont is their best weapon and best spokesman as Lamont comes across on television as a non-threatening leader whose humility is genuine, observers said.
The longtime business entrepreneur’s approval ratings have doubled to 56%, and voters surveyed in the most recent Sacred Heart University poll showed that support for his handling of the COVID-pandemic has risen to 71%.
Republican legislators and some voters have complained that Lamont has become too powerful during the past year, but the general public largely rejects that notion.
“The paradox there is that while the legislature seems very concerned about that, the public seems to be appreciating his broad use of executive powers, as witnessed in the poll numbers,’’ said Gary Rose, chairman of the political science department at Sacred Heart. “The electorate and the people who are polled
are fine with his emergency powers. Additionally, he has not used these powers in a way that looks arrogant as perhaps his predecessor [Gov. Dannel P. Malloy] might have. He has not used these powers that seem in any way condescending to people that ‘I know best, and I know what’s right.’ ‘‘
“There’s nothing draconian about many of the decisions he’s made,’’ Rose said. “Ned Lamont has demonstrated himself to be a very reasonable, prudent, crisis manager, and I think that shows up in those poll numbers.’’
Nationally, Lamont’s surge in the ratings provides a sharp contrast to betterknown governors who have grown more unpopular during the pandemic, including Gavin Newsome in California, whose detractors are pushing for a recall election. The once-high-flying New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now facing potential impeachment due to a nursing home scandal involving the deaths of COVID patients and multiple allegations of sexual harassment from women on and off his staff.
“Lamont has been a crisis leader of moderation,’’ Rose said. “So much of this has to do with style. Not only is Cuomo a tough guy, he’s also a bully. Lamont has an accommodating personality. When he holds his press conferences, he doesn’t seem to be threatening or condescending or in any way as a grandstander as Andrew Cuomo has been. ... Malloy was ‘my way or the highway’, but not Ned Lamont. There’s no question at all that Malloy was ‘I know best, and this is the way I ran Stamford, and I’ll do it my way whether you like it or not.’ There’s no doubt that was reflected in his approval ratings. Ned Lamont has not done that.’’
Despite his immense wealth as a Greenwich multi-millionaire who has self-funded three statewide campaigns, Lamont does not come across as an uncaring rich guy or heavy-handed, as Malloy did, observers said.
Using emergency authority
Next month, Lamont is scheduled to lose his extraordinary powers to change state laws, and then some authority will shift back to the legislature as his powers expire. Lamont has hinted several times recently that it will be a new atmosphere in about a month.
“On April 20, the legislature may have something to say about that,’’ Lamont said of the expiration of his extraordinary powers.
With his pandemic powers, Lamont has been able to run the state without major interference from the legislature. He shutdown all“non- essential’ ’ businesses at the start of the pandemic and almost single-handedly - with the help of advisers - dictated the opening and closing dates for restaurants and other businesses. Bars that do not serve food are still closed, and Lamont has avoided making excuses but instead points to the science and the fears of the spreading virus.
With Lamont in the spotlight, legislators passed less than 15 bills in the entire year of 2020 and have placed few bills on Lamont’s desk so far in 2021 as they prepare for the busiest part of the legislative session in the coming months.
The past year has been totally different since the days when Lamont was blocked in his effort for his most-high-profile issue : tolls.
By avoiding an overly heavy-handed approach, Lamont has taken a measured approach, even if many restaurant owners wanted to be open sooner and for longer hours. He has had pushback from some Republicans and libertarian groups, including some detractors at protests who called him “King Ned.’’
But the poll numbers show that the general public does not view him as “King Ned’’ as Connecticut has generated better numbers than many other states in the year-long battle against the coronavirus.
Despite the high poll numbers, Sen. DougMcCrory of Hartford says that Lamont has a largely unfinished agenda that makes it “absolutely’’ too early to make any assessments on the governor’s performance. McCrory said he needs to see results on major pending issues such as legalizing recreational marijuana and sports betting, among others. The passage of the police accountability law last summer was largely an accomplishment of the legislature, he said.
“What large policy issue has he pushed? There hasn’t been one,’’ McCrory said. “Tolls failed. We’re still trying to do cannabis. Taxes? I guess he’s going to win that one because of all the money we’ve got coming in. ... I don’t have anything to grade him on.’’
McCrory said that Lamont has not “doubled down’’ on the inner cities and the residents who have been hit hardest by the pandemic due to “not enough outreach and not enough accessiblity’’ to the vaccine.
“I’m not happy with the outcomes,’’ McCrory said. “I’m judging everything from an equity lens and ho w we’re going to be equalizing the playing field for everyone.’’
He added, “The mortality rate is much different for someone who is a 55-yearold Black male who lives in Hartford as opposed to a 55-year-old white male who lives in Avon. That’s the stuff I deal with on a regular basis.’’
House Republican leader Vincent Candelora, a frequent critic of Lamont, said that Lamont has “potentially’’ reached his high water mark because his extraordinary powers, the COVID crisis and billions in federal money that have boosted the state’s fortunes will all eventually be ending. At that point, the state will still be facing all of the underlying problems that have not been solved — underfunded state employee pensions, slow job growth, anemic wage growth, and the high-profile loss of the headquarters of iconic titans of industry like General Electric and United Technologies that personified Connecticut’s financial strength in the economic boom years.
“I look back to the policies that put himat30% percent,’’ Candelora said. “As we’re seeing this legislative session play out, with the pharmaceutical taxes, the gas taxes, the marijuana taxes, delivering on sports gaming — all of those proposals in the end, as we come out of this pandemic, will impact his numbers a year from now.’’
Candelora added, “I think it’s something the governor certainly should enjoy. He’s certainly worked very hard, but I think the numbers are going to change as we come out of the pandemic, especially when you look at the poll numbers on [Connecticut] affordability and how people’s overall satisfaction is with the state. All of those issues are still plaguing us — long after the virus leaves.’’
Building a record for 2022
Despite being asked in recent months, Lamont has avoided talking about his political future at the age of 67. Many politicians assume that he will be running again, but he has avoided that conversation - at one point saying, “I’m not going there.’’
Well-known prognosticator Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics places Connecticut as “likely Democrat’’ in 2022. “Though he’s taking his time setting up his campaign, Lamont seems to be in a surprisingly strong position for reelection,’’ the center said.
“A governor with those approval ratings will be awfully hard to beat,’’ Rose said.
While no candidates have made any formal announcements, supporters say that the leading candidates on the Republican side would be 2018 nominee Bob Stefanowski of Madison, and former House GOP leader Themis Klarides of Derby.
Lamont himself refused to talk about his poll ratings in detail.
“Yeah, we’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m taking care of that,’’ he said initially.
Asked if he was concentrating on his ratings, Lamont said, “Nah.’’
Asked if the ratings are fleeting and he simply doesn’ t want to discuss it, Lamont said, “I think so. I just don’t pay much attention to it.’’
Scott McLean, a political science professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, said that Lamont has remained at the center of the biggest issue facing the state that impacts virtually every resident - whether at work, school or in a restaurant.
“He’s been riding the same wave that [President] Biden has been riding, which is just focus on the COVID and make sure that you communicate with people about what you’re planning to do,’’ McLean said. “It seems to be working for him. Find the general consensus in the public on an issue and be the leader on that, and you’re likely to end up with a positive job-approval rating.’’
McLean agreed that the state still has major problems, such as future budget deficits and fixing the state’s aging transportation infrastructure that will cost billions, that are still looming in the background.
“If COVID is Lamont’s best hand, he’s going to play it as long as he can,’’ McLean said. “Lead with your strongest suit politically, and right now Lamont’s strongest suit is COVID response.’’
As voters see different politicians in action on television, McLean said that Lamont is the polar opposite in tone and personality of Cuomo- the governor who has been constantly in the news more than any other.
“I couldn’t imagine in a million years that Lamont would do something as arrogant and stupid as Cuomo did for years in New York,’’ McLean said. “That’s just the arrogance of power, and I don’t think Ned Lamont has that level of ego. Everyone has an ego, but that’s just beyond normal political ego. ... The humility that comes across in Lamont is genuine.’’
Looking back on the anniversary of the start of the pandemic, Lamont said he sees improvement ahead.
“We’ve learned a lot in the last year, and it’s making a difference that you see every day in terms of how we’re progressing in terms of vaccinations,’’ Lamont said. “As long as you maintain the diligence and wear the mask a little bit longer, we’re going to get there.’’
One of the biggest issues facing Lamont is the whipsaw effect of politics and the fast-changing fortunes that are hard to predict - as shown by the changing, unpredictable news of the past year with the coronavirus.
“You might be riding high in March, and you can be in the gutter in September,’’ McLean said. “Things can change very quickly in this political environment. ... Lamont won’t take his position for granted. He won’t think he’s indestructible because he’s got a strong job approval right now. I think he can remember back a year ago that things can be different, and he’s not going to be Icarus and try to fly too close to the sun.’’