Lt. Guv Wyman Dishes On State and National Politics

Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman stopped by the Branford Festival Saturday afternoon to lend her support for fellow state Democrats seeking re-election in November, to pose for photographs with them and to say hello to voters.

The Eagle caught up with her for an interview after she stopped by the Democratic Town Committee’s tent. There, she shared her opinions on the upcoming local and national elections, and the role she expects her party to play.

This was the 32nd annual Branford Festival, which runs for three days on the Branford Green. It is a place where folks seeking election to public office often gather as the election season gets underway. 

When asked whether she believed the general election might impact local politics, Wyman acknowledged the possibility that perhaps disillusionment with their party may discourage Republicans from voting. However, she maintained, ​“people look at our local races as local races. Lonnie Reed (who represents Branford as state representative of the 102nd District) is a local leader who has been around for many years. People know her and like her and I think they will vote her way.”

Reed is seeking her 5th term in office. Her opponent, Ray Ingraham, the chair of the Republican party and the majority leader of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), was stationed around the corner at the Republican tent. 

State Sen.Ted Kennedy, Jr. is seeking a second term in office; he was at the festival earlier in the day, meeting voters. State Rep. Sean Scanlon (D‑Guilford), who also represents Stony Creek and Pine Orchard, was on hand, too. He is running unopposed.

Wyman’s feelings on the general election can be characterized by a familiar combination of confidence in her own party’s presumptive candidate, Hillary Clinton, as well as uneasiness toward Clinton’s presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump.

On Trump

“Speaking as a politician,” she said of Hillary Clinton, ​“I think we have a stronger candidate who has more experience in representing us on the national level and in Congress,” noting that Clinton’s history of fostering bipartisan agreement during her time as U.S. Senator would serve her well in office.

With regard to Trump, meanwhile, Wyman’s concerns are both personal and political. ​“I am embarrassed that my grandchildren have to see this, meaning Trump,” she admitted, citing his disparaging comments on women and minorities. Like many, she is troubled by the impression that Trump’s candidacy and campaign are leaving not only on people at home, but also people abroad. She recalled: ​“We had two students here from Amsterdam and they said to me, ​‘we are laughing at him.’ That’s not who I want as leader of the Western World.”

According to Wyman, one of the Democrats’ biggest strengths in the upcoming local election is their ability to ​“work together for compromise” in spite of their disagreements, unlike the Republican Party, which she described as ​“all over the place.”

“We have united though we have different thoughts all through the Hillary campaign and the Bernie Sanders campaign,” the Lt. Governor elaborated, noting that some Sanders people are now talking about working to get Hillary elected. ​“You will see more and more Sanders people coming to Hillary’s side,” she predicted.

Wyman also praised the strength of party leaders such as U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal, who she said ​“will help the rest of the party.” ​“I think the Democrats will do very, very well,” she concluded.

According to Wyman, the biggest issues in both the local and national elections will be the economy and jobs. ​“We have to continue to build our economy up, making sure that people are staying with this jobs.” The way that her party is working to achieve this goal in Connecticut, she said, is by encouraging young people to stay in Connecticut by helping college graduates find jobs in the area, as well as by providing more resources for those who choose to go into other trades, such as manufacturing. ​“The top of the scale, they will make it,” she said. ​“We want to rebuild the middle class that we have not had for a long time.”

And Malloy?

As for matters closer to home, we asked if Governor Dannel P. Malloy planned another run for the governorship. Malloy’s current popularity ratings are the lowest of his tenure. Wyman was brief. ​“I have no idea,” she said. ​“The governor and I have not talked about that at all.”

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