Why I’m supporting Stephanie Thomas for state Rep.
I support Stephanie Thomas in her quest to flip our local state representative (CT House District 143) from Republican to Democrat for two reasons. I urge you to do the same and to get out and vote.
I met Stephanie two years ago when she initially decided to run at the very last minute and despite that huge disadvantage she narrowly lost to the incumbent Republican. Stephanie is a warm, motivated, compassionate person with a stunning intellect who is passionate about empowering our citizenry through expanded voting rights, including early voting and generally greater access to the polls for all. She is a caring person who is an ardent supporter of gun safety and a woman’s right to choose. These points alone are enough to earn my support.
However, now the choice is even clearer and taking on a sense of urgency. We Democrats — whether progressive, moderate or in between — must be much more aggressive in making sure our party wins local elections. Republicans have long been more effective in local and state races with a more passionate base which votes their candidates into office despite the fact that most, if not all, of their policies are far outside the mainstream views of our state. We pay the price as local and state offices are the incubators for future leaders for higher state and federal positions.
Never have we faced an existential threat to our nation as we face now with our current president who actively seeks to undermine the very underpinnings of our nation. While I am confident that he will be removed from office this year, all of us must learn the lessons of the past several years. We need Democratic Congressmen, Senators, Governors, Supreme Court Justices, judges, and other elected and appointed positions, all of which begin with local elections. We must turn out and vote up and down the ticket in on-years and off. I urge my fellow Democrats not to assume that your vote doesn’t count in such a Blue state — it does. If we do not vote, we face the certainty that more Donald Trumps, Mike Pences and Mitch McConnells are in our future. The very survival of our democracy is at risk.
I urge you to support Democrat Stephanie Thomas for state Representative — a leader for today and tomorrow.
Please visit Stephanie’s website for more information on her candidacy: https://votestephaniethomas.com/
Bruce Nemirow
Norwalk