Friends -

Started my annual Walk Across Connecticut on Monday! This year I’m beginning in Stafford and ending in East Haven. It’s gearing up to be a busy week crossing the state and talking to constituents, but also working from the road to build congressional support for Israel. I’ll be in constant contact with colleagues and other officials, helping to coordinate our response to the crisis in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

A closer look at day one:

I started the day by walking for a while in Stafford with Bill Morrison and Rick Hartenstein, two great, active town leaders— they filled me in on all the news in town. I learned that the Stafford Speedway had another good summer!

Senator Murphy with Bill Morrison and Rick Hartenstein in Stafford.

A little ways down the road, I stopped at the Ellington Depot General Store, a small business with a fascinating story. The Rogallas bought the abandoned site on a handshake deal 44 years ago. Over the years, they diversified and now run a deli, gas station, general store, and bakery. But expanding their business has been a real headache caused by so much bureaucratic red tape. This is the kind of story I would probably miss if I didn’t do this walk.

After a VERY long stretch of the walk without a single bathroom to be found, I was saved by the kind clerk at the Tolland Xtramart who allowed me to use the porta potty out back. This is the less glamorous side of walking across our state.

In Vernon, I stopped to eat lunch with leaders from the community at the famous Vernon Diner. They told me about the massive rental housing shortage here which is causing tons of families to be stuck in shelters even though they have the income to afford rent.

Senator Murphy with Alexis Flint, Sharon Redfern and Jean Luddy at Vernon Diner.

From Vernon, I took a rails to trails path and ran into my friend Mary and her mom Debbie. Mary and I met at Camp Horizons this summer, and she wanted to talk about creating more access for the developmentally disabled in higher education. It was great to catch up!

Senator Murphy with Debbie and Mary in Vernon.

After that, I took a break from my walk route to attend an important rally in support of Israel in West Hartford. I’ll be honest – I seriously considered postponing my walk across the state in the wake of the atrocious and unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas.

I’m Chairman of the subcommittee that oversees Middle East policy in the Senate, and there’s a lot of timely and important work to be done in response to the events unfolding overseas. But I also know that this walk is an important opportunity to engage in conversation with people across the state, to discuss in part why it’s so important for us as a state and as a country to come together as one voice in support of Israel.

Senator Murphy speaking at a rally in West Hartford in support of Israel.

After the rally, I still had a few miles to go to finish out day one of the walk before it got too dark. A few brisk miles later, I stopped in to Cafe Aura, Coach Geno Auriemma’s restaurant, in Manchester. I said hi to the crowd at the bar and met Paul, a great bartender there. Go huskies!

Senator Murphy at Cafe Aura in Manchester with bartender Paul.

Crossed the finish line at Manchester Town Hall a bit after 7 pm – almost twelve hours after I started my day in Stafford.

A short recap of day two:

Staring down a 20 mile day, I needed to kick off the day early and hit the road as the sun rose. I met Julie who owned a local restaurant and now gives back to her community by helping out as a crossing guard. Then, I ran into Pastor Eric who found me on the route. He’s a great community leader in Norwich. I got myself a McMuffin to eat on the road for breakfast. Just to keep you fully up to speed on what it’s like to walk across Connecticut!

Senator Murphy and Dave in Manchester.

One thing I love about my annual walk is that it gives me the chance to meet people who I might not otherwise hear from — I meet people who agree with me, and I meet people who don’t. This morning I met Dave while he was out walking his dog, Remy. He thinks we are spending too much money in Ukraine and we should try to get along with Russia. I disagreed but we had a polite, civil conversation. Imagine that?

Later, I stopped into Anna’s Restaurant in East Hartford where I met Dave and Dennis. They're brothers who grew up in the north end of Hartford. Moderate Democrats, they like Joe Biden because he’s a regular guy. As Armenian-Americans, they shared their concerns about the conflict in Armenia.

A bit further down the road, State Senator Saud Anwar came out and walked with me through town. We talked about Israel, Gaza, and also the way the big health care companies are driving up the cost of care here.

Senator Murphy with members of 32BJ SEIU in Hartford.

After making my way through downtown Hartford and its midday buzz, I met up with members of 32BJ - a local branch of the SEIU labor union - to hear what they’re working on and discuss together how I can support their fight.

I stopped for a great, quick lunch at ABC Pizza and then said hello to the firefighters next door at Engine 15 Ladder 2. I know how hard they work for our community, and it was a pleasure to get to say hi!

Lunch at ABC Pizza in Hartford.

Making my way through my own neighborhood, I kept hearing a recurring theme: we have a housing crisis in America. I heard how difficult it is to find stable, affordable housing from a young man who’s been experiencing homelessness for two years. I heard from an elderly woman who pays more than half her fixed Social Security Income for a room in a boarding house. This is untenable, and it’s about time we started exploring bigger, bolder solutions to take on this crisis.

As I made my way through Newington, I had to stop by The Eye Opener, a store I used to visit all the time as a kid to buy baseball cards. It was my favorite place, and I’m so glad it’s still here with the same ownership! It’s a true institution and the chance to stop by is just another reason I’m so grateful to be able to walk across the state every year.

Senator Murphy with Emily, John, and their newborn daughter Phoebe.

In the afternoon, I got a surprise. My route happened to take me by the house of my former outreach staffer, Emily, her husband John, and their newborn baby Phoebe! They walked with me for a while and we caught up.

This year’s walk has required a lot more multitasking than usual. I was on the phone trying to build bipartisan support for a proposal to increase funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program. As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I’m focused on making sure our Jewish community at home is protected from a potential rise in anti-Semitic threats.

Senator Murphy talking to colleagues about work to support the Jewish community.

By the end of the day, a small win. My colleagues Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and I released a strong, bipartisan statement calling for increased funding for this vital program.

I say it all the time — this is my favorite week of the year. I grew up in Connecticut and I love this state, but I fall in love with it again and again, year after year walking from one end to the other.

It’s easy to believe that what dominates the headlines and the cable news shows is all that matters, but this walk is a real grounding exercise that reminds me the issues most people care about are evergreen: making the money they earn go a little further, sending their kids to good schools, and making their communities safer for them and their families. There are always other issues I hear about, but as I continue on my seventh walk I’m struck by how often these topics recur.

Senator Murphy discussed a wide variety of issues during his town hall in Berlin.

It’s a reminder for me to focus on helping people with those things — helping families cut costs, stay safe, and make sure their kids have better opportunities than they had for themselves. At my town hall in Berlin, I heard about all those things, and got to answer important questions about the crisis in Israel and what we in Congress are doing about it.

Didn’t quite make it as far as I wanted yesterday, but don’t worry I started right where I left off today – no cheating! Grateful to everyone I met along the way for another exciting day walking across the state. Today is day three; hope to see you on the road!

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

Chris is up for reelection in 2024, and he is counting on people like you to power our grassroots campaign. Small-dollar donations help Chris keep his time fundraising to a minimum so he can focus on the work we expect him to do.

If you can afford it, please consider making a donation today. It would mean a lot to Chris to have a big outpouring of support as he walks across Connecticut.

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