Friends -

Day three and four of my annual walk across Connecticut are in the books. Here is a closer look at how it went.

Day three, 9 hours, 18 miles, Berlin to North Haven:

Day three of my annual Walk Across Connecticut started in Berlin before the sun rose at 6:30 a.m.

This week has been busy not only because of the walk but also because, as Chairman of the subcommittee that oversees our foreign relations in the Middle East, I’ve been working closely with my colleagues back in Washington to build support for Israel. The downside to that is that I walk a little slower while I’m on the phone, but I knew I could make up the miles if I woke up bright and early.

It was a quiet stretch before the sun rose. But once it did, I ran into a number of people who were also getting an early start. I met Wendy, a gas station clerk in Berlin. Her Social Security isn’t enough for her to live on so she’s still working, and as a diabetic, Medicare is her saving grace. She’s someone to remember when some in Congress propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Senator Murphy with Wendy in Berlin.

At that same gas station in Berlin, I got to chatting with Matt. He was impressed that I walk across the state every year, but he wasn’t THAT impressed. Matt told me that a few years ago he biked all the way from Oregon to Connecticut — I guess that’s a little longer than the 70 or so miles I’ll be walking this time.

Down the road, I stopped in to meet the wonderful family that runs Mana Bakery in Meriden, and I came away with some delicious breakfast pound cake.

I asked myself: is pound cake breakfast food? Probably not, but you only live once!

Breakfast on the road.

While walking in Meriden, I decided to veer off my walk route for about an hour to join healthcare leaders in the city at Rushford Treatment Center to announce a $2 million federal grant to help people who have overdosed get on a path to recovery. While I normally stick to my planned route during these walks across the state, this felt like a perfect match to the week.

The reason I do this walk is to hear from people who don’t pay attention to politics on a daily basis. They don’t call my office or attend town halls, but they have a lot of important things to say and I represent them too.

Some of those are people who are struggling with addiction, or fighting through recovery. I ran into the mother of one of those people just yesterday. She was going out to get her mail when I happened to walk by her house. She told me about her son who was living at home and struggling with addiction, and she didn’t know how to help. She didn’t know how to connect him with the resources that make a difference. It was that happenstance connection that will hopefully make a difference, but that’s why federal funding for recovery programs is so important: so that when people seek the help they need, it’s there.

Senator Murphy with healthcare leaders in Meriden.

Later, I was walking with one of the candidates running for mayor of Wallingford, Riley O’Connell, and he told me about the recently mothballed community pool. I’m a big believer that government at its best creates public spaces where people can meet, and public pools have historically been a place where we can build community.

Now more than ever, we need public spaces where people can have fun and find connection, so I hope that Wallingford can figure out a plan to get the pool open and operating again, and I’ll be looking into how the federal government can help.

As I made my way downtown, a few more local leaders met up with me: Kristi Doerr who’s running for town council, and Ben Hyland who’s running for a seat on the Board of Education. Together, we made our way into a few of the businesses on Wallingford’s lovely Main Street. It was great to say hi to patrons and connect directly with business owners about what I can do to help their businesses thrive.

Senator Murphy with Ben Hyland and Kristi Doerr.

At Design House Interiors, I heard from the owners about the struggles they face as one of the few local furniture sellers here in central Connecticut. They told me how shipping costs were hurting their business and making it harder to compete with the big box stores that can afford to weather rising costs. Protecting our state’s small businesses is a huge priority for me, and I was glad to hear from these folks whose stories I wouldn’t have heard if I wasn’t walking through their community today.

Senator Murphy at Half Moon Cafe in Wallingford.

From Main Street, I continued on for a few miles before calling it an early day (I still did 17 miles!) so I could make it to a conversation I hosted with Jewish community leaders in our state to check in during this time and express my support for future legislative solutions.

Senator Murphy hosting a conversation on Israel with the Jewish community in Stamford.

This is my favorite week of the year, no question, and I’m so grateful to be able to keep doing it year after year. It’s hard to believe tomorrow will be the final day of my SEVENTH Walk Across Connecticut, heading from North Haven to down by the shore in East Haven.

Day four, North Haven to East Haven:

Another day starting the Walk Across Connecticut before sunrise. I began the day in North Haven at Wharton Brook State Park and set off south for East Haven’s Shore Line Trolley Museum where we held our traditional end-of-walk celebration!

There weren’t too many people on the road at 6:30 am, but you can always find someone to talk to if you know where to look. I stopped in the Adelphia Cafe and met the owner, Chris. His family originally owned the Neptune in Wallingford, and have run the Adelphia for more than a decade. He told me that business has been good, but food prices have been volatile. I talked to him a little bit about our work in Congress to bring down costs for small business owners and working families alike.

Senator Murphy talking to local residents at Athena II Diner in North Haven

Further down, at the Athena II diner, I met three guys who have breakfast there together EVERY DAY. I have talked a lot about the loneliness crisis, and one thing I’ve found to be absolutely true is that finding and maintaining social connection requires intentionality. Studies suggest these guys will live longer, happier lives because of their commitment to finding and maintaining these important social connections.

During the walk, people often find me to talk policy, but I love it when folks talk to me about life in their community. At Empire Cafe in North Haven, I met Francine. Her best friend just opened the place, and she’s working shifts to help get it off the ground. She and I chatted about raising teenagers. She’s got two, and she says there just aren’t enough recreational opportunities for them in New Haven where they live.

Empire Cafe in North Haven

As I crossed through New Haven, I got to see all the fantastic Halloween decorations. I don’t normally do my Walk Across Connecticut in October, so this time it was a fun surprise. People go all out!

Halloween decorations in New Haven

Making my way into East Haven, a woman named Betsy pulled her car over to say hi. She was excited to talk because her kids met me when they were younger, and now they are both pursuing public policy careers. I don’t feel like I can claim much credit there, but having motivated, hard-working young people in public service is always a good thing. I was glad to be able to thank her for teaching her kids the value of service to our community.

Senator Murphy at The Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven with North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda

I finally crossed the finish line in East Haven at the Shore Line Trolley Museum – a beautiful backdrop for our traditional end-of-walk celebration. I love our state and this walk allows me to meet countless leaders, business owners, and citizens who are doing small but heroic things to make our communities better. I rely on each and every one of them to help me do my work better. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to walk across this state each year, and the kindness I feel at these celebrations is always special.

Senator Murphy addressing the crowd at The Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven

That’s a wrap on my SEVENTH annual Walk Across Connecticut. It was a great four days, and thank you all for following along.

Hanging up my sneakers until next year.

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.

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