On Jan. 6, CT Dems denounce ‘big lie’
The former president is no longer in office, but Democrats in Connecticut intend to make Donald Trump, and his continued false claims of election fraud, an issue in statewide races here in 2022.
On the first anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol, the state’s elected Democrats recalled how their phones started buzzing with the news that a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building as Congress was certifying the 2020 election results and how they watched the situation unfold from afar in horror.
But a year later, their focus is not as much on how Jan. 6 unfolded but what they see as the failure of their Republican colleagues to loudly and strongly denounce “The Big Lie” that the election was stolen, the Democrats including state party chair Nancy DiNardo said during an online press conference Thursday.
Republicans are pushing to move forward rather than look back, saying the state’s residents care more about issues such as health care, the economy, and education. But Democrats want a full accounting, a litmus test, on two questions: Did Biden legitimately win the election? And will GOP candidates condemn in clear terms Trump’s role in the siege?
“It shouldn’t serve as a litmus test perhaps in other states, but I think in a state like Connecticut it really should because I think our electorate is different and they view what happened on that day and the days leading up to that very, very differently,” said House Speaker Matt Ritter, DHartford.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said “a lot” of Connecticut Republicans acknowledge that Joe Biden is president, but have not been decisive that they believe he was elected fairly.
“I haven’t heard a lot of Republican leaders loudly and clearly say that the 2020 election was free and fair as we all know it was, that the 2020 election was legitimate, and that Joe Biden legitimately won it,” Bronin said.
In a series of statements issued Thursday, Connecticut Republicans denounced the violence that occurred at the Capitol, but made little or no mention of Trump or his involvement. They accused Democrats of trying to further politicize the country.
“We should be memorializing what transpired on Jan. 6 by bringing political parties and elected officials together, not perpetuating this divide,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford said in a written statement.
Referring to the shortage of COVID-19 tests plaguing Connecticut and the country, Candelora said, “in a week where residents were left to wait hours for COVID tests, Democrats have suddenly come out of hiding and are tripping over themselves to embrace the type of divisive rhetoric our Speaker of the House has often said should remain in Washington, D.C.”
Lawmakers in Connecticut should instead be focused on “addressing the mental health and education crisis among children and teachers or tackling public safety concerns in our neighborhoods,” he said. “Considering this disingenuous campaign stunt today, residents will justifiably wonder how serious the majority party is about unifying our state and developing balanced policies that will make it a better place to live for everyone.”
In a separate written statement, Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, and Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, the deputy leader, said “We condemn the violence of January 6, 2021 in the strongest of terms, just as we have continued to do since the day it happened.”
The senators drew a distinction between what unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and what happened outside the state Capitol in Hartford that same day — where lawmakers were sworn in on the first day of the legislative session “in a ceremony marked by unity.”
Two-thirds of Republican voters in the U.S. still doubt the legitimacy of Biden’s election, according to a recent poll from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst — a point that is likely to be on the minds of GOP candidates in Connecticut as they seek to overcome Democratic majorities in the state
House (96-53) and Senate (23-13). Democrats also hold all statewide and congressional offices in Connecticut.
“They know what the polls say. That’s why the questions are so critical today because they’re trying to figure out how do I win a primary but then be electable in November and so the comments are very right in the middle and luke warm,” Ritter said.
Democrats on Thursday specifically singled out Bob Stefanowksi, the GOP challenger to Gov. Ned Lamont in 2018 who is likely to run again in 2022, for refusing to condemn Trump for his role in the attack.
“We’re asking the Republican Party and Bob Stefanowksi, who is the de facto leader, right now to step and denounce Trump-like behavior and what the insurrection actually stood for and to actually stand up for his country, not for the love of the Republican party, or any party. Put your country first,” said Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr., D-Waterbury, chair of the Black and Puerto Rican caucus.
Asked to respond to the comments by phone, Stefanowski instead issued an emailed statement Thursday.
“As we come upon the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at our U.S. Capitol building we can all agree that whether it’s Washington, D.C. or Connecticut, violence is never the answer,” he said. “Each and every person found responsible for this tragedy should be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
Biden “won the election over a year ago,” he said. “It’s time to move on from division and hyper partisanship and work together to provide the people of Connecticut with better public safety, a lower cost of living and a quality education for their kids.”