Editors’ note: Members of the Hearst Connecticut Media and Republican-American editorial boards interviewed Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican challenger Ryan Fazio about a range of challenges facing Connecticut. In advance of Election Day on Nov. 3, we are publishing their responses along with our takes.
Lamont’s two terms have been bookended by President Donald Trump’s two administrations. We asked the candidates about Connecticut’s current and future relationship with the White House.
Lamont: Trump 1.0 is quite different than Trump 2.0. Trump 1.0 was … not very operationally helpful. Sort of irrelevant when it came to COVID. The states were on their own. Now, every two weeks, there’s another incoming and you’ve got to be able to manage that. Congress authorizes money for mental health or security grants. Just yesterday (it) was wind power for the third time. You talk about permitting reform. How about once you permit something, it’s permanent so that people have some confidence that they can invest and know what the lay of the land is? It’s really uncertain and erratic. … I have a working relationship with a number of the secretaries down there, because as governor, you’ve got to work with people. So, when it comes to, say, transportation or energy, I maintain those relationships, which are very important. You’ve got to do that as a governor. Draw the line where you think there’s a real issue and be clear about it, but not everything is a fight. … I have ongoing relationships with the secretary of energy and the secretary of the interior and others. …. I look at the Federal Department of Transportation, and you see they are yanking tunnel funds from New York and New Jersey. I look at the State of Connecticut, and I see that 90-plus percent of our infrastructure funding is continuing. And I give some credit to (Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner) Garrett Eucalitto there. …. But when it comes to energy, I said, look, we have high electric prices here in New England. And Donald Trump said, I’m going to make an absolute priority bringing down electric prices in New England. So, I said, maybe this is a place we can work together.
Fazio: I agree with the administration on things like tax cuts and reshoring manufacturing and capital investment and business investment. And I’ve also said where I disagree on issues like the war and excessive and capricious tariffs and deficit spending. And I think I was also on the record criticizing the Biden administration for excessive deficit spending. I think there’s issue-by-issue concerns. People can see and trust that I’ll focus on issues and I’ll defend Connecticut’s interests and I’ll call out excesses or mistakes from the federal government, the Trump administration where I see them or from a Democratic administration, because in the next two years, we could see a change, we will see a change in administration and it could be a change in party as well. So, I think the responsibility of the governor of Connecticut is to speak out when Connecticut’s interests are undermined, whether it’s your party or not in Washington, but also to work collaboratively, whether it’s your party or not in Washington. … If the state, if the federal government reduces spending significantly on key areas, then maybe the state government needs to step in. … You could also tell that there’s a little bit of a political cudgel because the same people who (say) the state government needs to increase spending now, didn’t say the inverse when the federal government was significantly increasing spending.
Hearst Connecticut Media Editorial Board: Eight years later, it’s easy to forget how confrontational the relationship was between the first Trump administration and Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office. We’ve come a long way from the days of Malloy dubbing Trump a “fraud” and a “clown” and Trump mocking Malloy’s first name. So, we can appreciate that Lamont is avoiding playground rhetoric and focusing on scoring funding for the state by striving to maintain functional relationships within federal offices. For his part, Fazio offers a nuanced take on President Trump, including criticisms, rather than dodging the question. In some ways, both candidates offer answers that may not be popular with party loyalists who expect each to sit firmly in their assigned corners of the political ring. But Lamont’s experience gives him a significant advantage over an opponent who lacks Beltway connections.
Republican-American Editorial Board: Gov. Lamont’s answer highlights a key reality that often gets lost in the political discourse: President Trump may be taking unprecedented action on issues such as border security and welfare spending, but halfway into…
Read More: Opinion: Lamont and Fazio on working with Trump administration