Hartford, CT - Regardless of which candidates emerge with the Republicans’ endorsement at their Convention, Trump is clearly a winner.

Manny Santos, Matthew Corey, and Sue Hatfield won the Republicans’ endorsement on their praise and wholehearted embrace of Donald Trump. And while the entire gubernatorial field has already embraced Donald Trump, Mark Boughton gave a special nod to the President by wearing a Trump golf course polo to the convention.

“Connecticut Republicans are giving Donald Trump his candidates in Connecticut,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Communications Director Christina Polizzi. “We haven’t just seen these candidates embrace Donald Trump--they have actively campaigned on his policies and his rhetoric. The Connecticut Republican Convention is the Donald Trump show, putting his politics and his polos on display. Every single candidate up and down the Republican ticket will not only capitulate to Donald Trump’s agenda, they will be his advocate in Connecticut during their campaign and it is exactly how they would conduct policy if they were to be elected. The only question that remains, when will Donald Trump show up to rally his party’s faithful?”

Hartford, CT - After Republican delegates endorsed Kurt Miller as their nominee for Comptroller and Thad Gray as their nominee for Treasurer, Democratic State Party Chair Nick Balletto released the following statement:

“Republicans across the state have already remained silent as Donald Trump and national Republicans championed two pieces of legislation, the tax bill and the Republican health care repeal, that would have devastated Connecticut financially. We cannot allow a Republican who will compromise our values in Connecticut to be our state’s top financial officer or in charge of our checks and balances.”

Hartford, CT - After the Republican delegates voted for their Congressional nominees, Democratic State Party Chair Nick Balletto released the following statement:

“Let’s be clear, Manny Santos is not running for Congress so that he can serve the people of Connecticut, he’s running to be closer to Donald Trump. Since the first day of his campaign, Santos has made it clear he is eager to be Donald Trump’s ally in Congress. He supports Donald Trump’s decision to ban transgender people from the military and was endorsed by Connecticut’s NRA. On the issues that Connecticut voters care about, from gun violence prevention, to a woman’s right to choose, to immigration, Manny Santos is going to stand with Donald Trump.

Hartford, CT - After Republican delegates endorsed Sue Hatfield as their Attorney General nominee, Democratic State Party Chair Nick Balletto:

“As the Trump administration continues to threaten women’s access to vital health care services, the future of immigrants, and the rights of the LGBTQ community, it is vital we have an Attorney General who can fight to protect our values and our neighbors. Sue Hatfield is proud of the way in which Donald Trump handles himself and helped put him in the White House and as our Attorney General, Sue Hatfield would allow the Trump administration to continue to dismantle the rule of the law.”

Hartford, CT - After Republican delegates endorsed Susan Chapman to be their Secretary of State nominee even after she was soundly defeated for re-election in New Fairfield this past November, Democratic State Party Chair Nick Balletto released the following statement:

“The Trump administration has already made it clear they intend to roll back voting rights and spread misinformation about our voting system. Access to the voting booth is one of our most fundamental rights. We need a Secretary of State who will stand up to expand and protect our right to vote, not cower behind the agenda of a President who cries ‘voter fraud’ every chance he gets.”

While Connecticut Republicans won't stand up for healthcare, Connecticut Democrats will continue fighting to ensure that everyone in Connecticut has access to affordable healthcare regardless of what Donald Trump and Republicans do in Washington.

Hartford, CT - The Trump administration has made it clear that one of their priorities is rolling back progress on women’s health and access to reproductive care. From allowing employers to deny coverage of contraception, to undermining Medicaid, to attacking Planned Parenthood, which provides a range of healthcare services for over 2.5 million people, the Trump administration has attempted to roll back women’s access to vital health care services. Democratic leaders in Connecticut have fought back to ensure women have access to vital health services, with Governor Malloy promising to maintain Planned Parenthood funding.

Hartford, CT - As the legislative session comes to an end, the difference between Democratic and Republican priorities could not be more clear. As Democrats were fighting for Dreamers, gun violence prevention, and a free and accessible internet, Republicans were attempting to lobby for special interests and the national Republican Party at every turn.

Hartford, CT - Last year, President Trump ended the DACA program, throwing the nearly 700,000 DACA recipients in the United States into uncertainty. Governors and members of state governments across the country, including our Democratic leaders in Connecticut, fought for DACA recipients, who were brought to this country as children.

Hartford, CT - Right-to-work laws are bad for unions, workers, and wages. In states that have enacted right-to-work laws wages are 3.1% lower for both union and non-union members. In Wisconsin, right-to-work laws took away unions’ collective bargaining power, which devastated teachers with a 2.6% decline in wages and an 18.6% decline in benefits over 5 years.  Higher union density has historically led to higher wages, and right-to-work laws harm unions.