Winfield: Black The Vote” Higher

Thomas Breen photo

Winfield at Canal Dock campaign event: "Hungry" for representation.

Gary Winfield upped the ante at a Black the Vote” campaign rally for the statewide Democratic slate — by urging the party to think beyond 2022 to envision a Black governor.

Winfield, a New Haven state senator, put forward that call for the importance of diverse representation at the top of the Connecticut Democratic ticket Wednesday during an event hosted by the Connecticut Democratic Black Caucus on the second floor of the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf.

The goal of the event was to work toward bringing Black voters to the polls on Nov. 8 to support Democratic candidates on a slate led by Gov. Ned Lamont.

You know what I feel when I think about this?” Winfield told the room of over 100 elected officials, campaign workers, politicos, and supporters from across the state who had gathered to support mobilizing Black voters to vote for Democrats during the upcoming Nov. 8 general election.

I feel hungry,” said Winfield, who had initially pursued the lieutenant governor nomination in 2018 before shifting to run for reelection as state senator. Because I haven’t been fed. And I haven’t been fed because I don’t see people like me in positions that I want to see people like me in. And so I’m hungry, and I’m waiting to get fed, and I need the Black Caucus to help me get fed.”

Wednesday night's CT Dems Black Caucus event at the boathouse.

Winfield’s speech marked quite the departure in content and in tone from those given earlier in the night by Democratic statewide constitutional office candidates Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, state treasurer hopeful Erick Russell, secretary of the state hopeful Stephanie Thomas, and state comptroller hopeful Sean Scanlon, as well as Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers and Mayor Justin Elicker.

Black Caucus Co-Chairs Marsha Adell and Brandon McGee.

As Black Caucus Co-Chair, former Hartford state legislator, and current Lamont reelection campaign staffer Brandon McGee put it as he emceed Wednesday night’s outing, the goal of the event was to Black the vote” this November by inspiring Black Democrats from across Connecticut to make sure their peers, their friends, their family members, and their communities hit the polls to defeat various Republican challengers.

Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz (left).

Many of Wednesday night’s speeches, therefore, focused on Democrats touting their accomplishments while in elected office, and warning of attacks on a host of issues that Black Democrats care about if Republicans win statewide office.

It is because of these people that are on the ballot with us that got us to this very productive place,” Bysiewiecz said while standing in front of a dozen Black Democratic state lawmakers and detailing recently approved bills boosting gun control, children’s mental health, women’s reproductive freedom, minimum wage hikes, voting access, and anti-discrimination. 

We are here to ask you to tell your friends, to tell everyone in your network. … We need to bring a message that this is the strength and the diversity and the power of Connecticut to make government work for the people of Connecticut.”

Gov. Lamont.

Lamont agreed. You set an example for what the state is all about,” he told the crowd. 

There are young people looking up at each and every one of you saying, I can do this too.’ ” That’s why, he said, he wants to have the most diverse administration in the history of Connecticut. That’s why he wants to see more Black teachers in Connecticut schools, more Black judges on Connecticut benches.

Democratic state treasurer candidate Erick Russell.

When we started this caucus a couple of years ago during the middle of the pandemic, it was all about bringing people together, creating spaces for people to network, and for us to build the party within our community and to have difficult conversations around issues impacting our community that would further legislation,” Russell said. It was also about setting up a path for people to run for office, get skills to become campaign managers, build a bench.”

The vision was this, tonight,” he said. Thus the importance of making sure that we are getting our community engaged and out to vote,” and making sure that our community turns out in huge numbers” in November.

Democratic secretary of the state candidate Stephanie Thomas.

It is time for us to Black the vote,” Thomas said, holding out the microphone to the crowd and receiving a resounding Facts!” in response. That means voting for Democrats for office, she said. That means voting yes” on the early voting constitutional amendment ballot question this year. 

We are at the precipice of a lot of things that would send us backwards,” she said. And I don’t need to hell anyone in this room, I’m not going back.”

"A Black Governor?" "Facts!"

Winfield with NHPS staffer Tarolyn Moore Wednesday.

When Winfield got the mic to close out the night’s speaking lineup, he encouraged those in the room to think further out than just Nov. 8 — and to focus their attention and criticism on not just the opposing party.

He didn’t mention his own race for reelection, against Republican challenger John Carlson. In fact, he didn’t mention any Republicans at all. Instead, as he has done so many times during his decade-plus in state elected office, Winfield spoke candidly and from the heart about how the personal and the political intersect in his own life — and how, whether he likes it or not, he is so often defined by the color of his skin.

Tip O’Neill once said all politics is local,” Winfield told the room. I’m gonna tell you this. I’ve lived in New York City. I’ve lived in upstate New York. I’ve lived in Virginia. I’ve lived in Florida. I can keep going. And everywhere I went, you know what mattered more than where I was? Who I was. All politics is about what my identity is, and my identity starts with being Black.” 

That’s right!” members of the audience shouted back in response.

What I’m saying to you all is, we need to get fed,” Winfield continued. And we need to have this caucus function and do what it needs to do. And sometimes that means, yes, getting a snack on Nov. 8, because that’s what I call that.”

But the Democratic ticket up for election on Nov. 8 isn’t his ultimate goal,” the New Haven state senator said. Nov. 8 is just a stop on the road.” This is about much more than that.”

He then pointed his mic out at the audience.

Do you want a Black speaker” of the state House of Representatives? he asked.

Facts!” the crowd replied.

Do you want a Black president of the senate?”

Facts!”

Do you want a number two” — that is, a lieutenant governor, who is Black? 

Facts!”

Do you want a Black governor?

Facts!”

The way we get it is by supporting this,” Winfield concluded about the Black Caucus. By putting money into it, by putting energy into it. And even when it goes wrong, understanding that that’s right this minute. That’s not forever. Thank you for coming to my city tonight.”

Black Caucus event attendees and New Haven Public Schools teachers Sean Hardy and Dee Marshall ...

... Trumbull-based construction contractor Keith Morris and West Haven small biz owner Cheryll Lafond ...

... and New Haven small biz owner Shirley Banks.

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