Gov. Ned Lamont came out swinging when he took the stage at the state Democratic party convention Saturday.
Accepting the party鈥檚 nomination for governor, Lamont kicked off his speech with a nod to his opponent, Bob Stefanowski, who received the GOP nomination Friday night.
鈥淟ast night, I was watching a little bit of the Republican convention,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淎nd one thing Bob said I sort of agreed with. He said, 鈥楽o much can happen in four years.鈥� I鈥檒l tell you, Bob, what happened in the last four years.鈥�
Lamont said 海角换妻 was 鈥渋n trouble鈥� when he took office four years ago. He called out the 鈥渕ultibillion-dollar deficit,鈥� and said the state鈥檚 transportation fund 鈥渨as on fumes.鈥� Today, the economy looks different, he said.
鈥淭hree straight years of a budget surplus and the biggest this state has ever seen,鈥� he said, his voice rising to a higher pitch. Delegates at the Xfinity Theater whooped.
The governor knows that his record on the economy is one of the strongest cases he can make to voters in this year鈥檚 election. Over Lamont鈥檚 first term, the state鈥檚 finances have turned rapidly , and he made sure to remind his party of that at this weekend鈥檚 convention.
That presents a challenge for Republicans this election cycle as they attempt to lay out a narrative of .
鈥淎fter 40 years of a Democratically controlled legislature, 海角换妻 is the definition of a failed state 鈥� billions and billions of debt with absolutely nothing to show for it,鈥� Stefanowski said Friday night at the GOP convention. He has campaigned on a vow to make the state more affordable and focus on the 鈥渇undamental values鈥� of 鈥減ersonal freedom, individual liberty, smaller government.鈥�
But Lamont鈥檚 biggest approval boost during his first term came from his handling of the pandemic. Lamont reminded Democrats that he kept schools and businesses open throughout most of the pandemic and supported industries like construction and manufacturing.
鈥淲e did everything to keep this state going, to do it safely,鈥� he said, thanking the crowd for their efforts, as well. 鈥淲e led by example, we led with respect, we looked out for each other.鈥�
Alex Rodriguez, a delegate from Hartford, said he admired Lamont鈥檚 efforts to control the tenor of debate during the pandemic.
鈥淗e did a good job of staying away from being part of the loud mouths and the voices that are always trying to tear things apart,鈥� Rodriguez said. He also commended the Lamont administration for making tests and vaccines available in all areas of the state. 鈥淚 think he tried to maintain a consistent message and that helped people bring down their fears.鈥�
While the state鈥檚 labor market is still from the pandemic recession, Lamont took credit for the current abundance of job openings among 海角换妻 employers 鈥� even though many businesses describe the need to fill positions more as a challenge to their productivity.
鈥淵eah, four years does make a difference, Bob,鈥� Lamont said, again calling out his opponent. 鈥淔our years later, we have 150,000 good-paying jobs out there right now, waiting for anybody who wants to step up to seize the opportunity.鈥�
The 海角换妻 Business and Industry Association has expressed frustration about the labor shortage. Following this year鈥檚 legislative session, which wrapped up this week, the business association also lamented the nearly $500 million in federal unemployment loan debt that will .
鈥淚 probably feel the pain of this personally more than anybody in the General Assembly,鈥� said Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, who owns a manufacturing company that employs 150 people in 海角换妻. 鈥淲ould I have liked a little bit more? Maybe. But I think ultimately the failure was at the federal level, to recognize a year and a half ago that this was a locomotive heading towards businesses all over the country.鈥�
Needleman characterized Lamont鈥檚 economic policy as 鈥減rudent鈥� overall. 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 attempted to moderate some of the most progressive taxation impulses of Democrats. He鈥檚 been very thoughtful about that,鈥� Needleman said.
But, Needleman said, he鈥檚 concerned about affordability, too 鈥� especially when it comes to energy prices.
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid electric rates, heating your house with oil or gas, that鈥檚 going to impact a lot of people negatively. And I think that we may have to figure out something on that because we can鈥檛 have a third of the population unable to pay their utility bills,鈥� he said.
Both Lamont and Stefanowski are businessmen. Stefanowski had a long career in corporate finance, with stops at GE and UBS before leading a global payday loan company. Before entering politics, Lamont was founder of Campus Televideo, a company that specialized in cable systems in colleges, universities and gated communities.
鈥淣ow, you know, when the governor was elected, there were those who doubted that a businessman could get things done in Hartford. He proved them wrong,鈥� Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in remarks following her nomination.
She wasn鈥檛 alone among Saturday鈥檚 speakers in highlighting a long list of the Lamont administration鈥檚 economic wins. That list includes paying down the state鈥檚 pension debt, building up the budget surplus, raising the minimum wage, expanding the earned income tax credit, passing paid family medical leave, investing in education, job training and infrastructure, and cutting taxes.
鈥淚t was Democrats who balanced the budget, Democrats who cut taxes, and it was Democrats who made sure we have resources we need to invest in the future,鈥� Bysiewicz said.