Friends -

After a year’s hiatus for the pandemic, I went on my 5th Walk Across Connecticut last week.

Sure, it may not have seemed like the best idea after a year during which I had two knee surgeries (and a new titanium screw in my left leg). But what the hell –– it’s one of my favorite weeks every time. I meet so many amazing people along the way, and it helps ground me in what matters to Connecticut.

Day One

One of my first stops was to East Windsor’s Shag Bark Hickory Farm, the kind of off-the-beaten-path place I probably would never find if I weren’t walking the back roads of Connecticut. It’s a non-profit that gives access to horseback riding and horse therapy to lower-income families. We talked about the ways that federal support might be able to assist their mission.

A few minutes later, I ran into an East Hartford police officer who lived in East Windsor. We had an honest and open discussion about police reform legislation (in Connecticut and nationally). He understood the need for a conversation about reform, but he wanted to make sure we did it in a way that still made it possible for him to respond to legitimate complaints. Then, on the same road, I got into a friendly but serious conversation with a retired couple who were out fixing their front fence. The husband told me that he was worried about my position on guns, and he explained why he didn’t support a ban on assault weapons. But he and I agreed on the importance of expanding background checks. On the walk, I meet lots of people who support me, but I also meet a lot of folks who disagree with the positions I take. That’s the point of the walk — to talk to, and hear from, everyone!

Later in the day, as I entered South Windsor, I met up with some local officials. Mayor Anthony Paterna walked with me for a while, updating me on the long list of economic development projects in town. Then, State Senator Saud Anwar joined me along historic Main Street to tell me a little about the town’s historical roots.

Of course, not all of the conversations are about politics. For instance, in East Windsor, I spoke to an older woman who wanted to talk to me about how proud she was of the two apple trees in her front yard. She got so many apples last year that she put them by the road in a wheelbarrow with a sign that said “FREE.”

“People took all the apples,” she said.

“Great,” I replied.

Her response: “But they also took the wheelbarrow.”

Day Two

Day two of the Walk Across Connecticut started in South Windsor with a Red Bull in hand. I’m not proud of the fact that I occasionally drink Red Bull –– but I’m not a coffee drinker, and sometimes I need a little boost to get started.

Early in the morning, I crossed into East Hartford, where I met Richard, who owns 3D Barbershop. Like a lot of small business owners, Richard helps look after the neighborhood. When we spoke, he was worried about a fire in the building next door that sent one elderly man to the hospital last night. We talked a little about how important it is to support small businesses and how owners like Richard constantly go above and beyond the call for their community. We are grateful for all the Richards around our state.

Next, I ran into Rachel and the 105.9 team giving away free Patriots tickets at Dunkin’ Donuts in East Hartford. I’ve worked with Rachel before promoting autism awareness, and we had a friendly catch-up. But I think I offended her a little when I refused to enter the Patriots ticket raffle (for those that don’t know, I’m a big Giants fan).

As I approached the Connecticut River, I was glad to see Mike Zaleski, the CEO of Riverfront Recapture, the group in charge of rebuilding access to the riverfront. “I Twitter stalked you to find you,” he laughed.

We crossed the Founders Bridge together as he updated me on their projects, and we talked about the ways that federal funding could help get more pedestrian access to the river.

In Hartford, my walk slowed down to a crawl. There were so many people to stop and talk with! I caught up with Rohan Freeman, a local developer who is building workforce housing on a long underdeveloped site in my neighborhood in Hartford. He’s a true believer in the future of the city, and his energy and enthusiasm for Hartford is contagious.

As I walked through Hartford’s south end (my neighborhood), I met Aretha. Her story provides some really helpful color on the reality of the new post-pandemic economy.

For years, she worked as a food service worker at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Wethersfield. It was a good-paying, full-time job, just a bus ride from her home.

Last year, when DMV employees began working from home, she got laid off. Aretha liked that job, so she stayed on unemployment — hoping she would be rehired. But when that didn’t happen, she started furiously looking for work. Sure, she still had unemployment, but she wanted to work. Especially since she knew unemployment insurance wasn’t forever.

But she found that when she got offered jobs, it was for far less than she made at the DMV and mostly it was for less than 40 hours a week.

“I need five days a week to pay my bills,” she told me.

So Aretha is still out of work. She applies for jobs every day, but she needs a job that pays a living wage, not a job that keeps her in poverty while making her ineligible for unemployment insurance or SNAP. In short, she needs work to pay. And right now, it doesn’t. Aretha’s story is one that I might not get to hear if I didn’t do this walk across the state each year.

Just as I was getting hungry for lunch, I met King, who runs a hot dog stand on Wethersfield Avenue. As he made me two hot dogs, he told me how the pandemic shut down his stand for a year, and he didn’t get out again until June this summer. So he’s going to bundle up and try to stay open until November. I’m always impressed by how people are hustling to make ends meet.

Many miles later, I finished the day with a small, impromptu town hall at Elm Ridge Park in Rocky Hill. I like to end a few days of the walk with these town hall meetings — just another way to stay connected. I answered questions on the climate crisis, the out-of-control cost of higher education, protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, immigration, and more. And there was a lot of enthusiasm in the crowd for the Build Back Better agenda.

Day Three

Day three began in Rocky Hill and took me through Cromwell, Middletown, Middlefield, Durham and Guilford. Matt and Shannon, who are both running for local office in neighboring Cromwell, came to meet me at the start. I thanked them both for stepping up to run — it’s not easy to do (but it’s super important)!

I chatted with Josh and Joe as they were unloading a truck at the Cromwell company where they work. They got laid off last year, but enhanced unemployment insurance benefits allowed them to survive until they could get hired back. It’s an example of how unemployment insurance helped workers and employers during the pandemic.

Further down the road, I met Bash and his family, who own Newfield Pizza in Middletown. As immigrants from Kosovo, they are among the millions who fled war zones to make a better life here. We should never forget how much stronger immigrants and refugees make America.

Later in Middletown, I sat for a while on a roadside bench with Mike, who explained to me why he voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Mike is a lifelong Democrat but felt like the economy was going nowhere and was frustrated nobody had a good answer on how to deal with China. He knew we couldn’t bring all the jobs back, but we needed a strategy.

He thought electing “a businessman” would help. But Trump’s bungling of COVID shocked Mike. “He’s up there telling us to inject disinfectant into our bodies!” He decided to give Biden a shot.

He still likes Biden and says he got a raw deal on Afghanistan. “It was becoming another Vietnam,” Mike says. But he doesn’t know where to turn for objective information. “There’s no Cronkite anymore. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? I don’t know.”

Mike is going to stick with Biden. But he still struggles with where to get the truth about what’s going on. And he wants more common sense in government. More focus on the economy, less focus on divisive issues.

“Biden has a lot of messes to clean up,” he lamented.

For lunch, I sat down at Sliders with Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim. I had the Buffalo Parmesan wings. Super good.

Later, a woman named Abigail came and walked with me for a mile in Middletown. She is really concerned about the health of LGBTQ+ kids in our schools. I told her it’s an issue I’m paying more and more attention to. I promised to follow up with a plan of action.

As I went through the historic district in Durham, I was walking in the footsteps of George Washington’s marches through Connecticut. If you’ve never visited this part of our state and all its Revolutionary-era history, you’re missing out.

I ended the day in Durham, where I asked Republican First Selectwoman Laura Francis to bring together a group of parents (Republicans and Democrats) to talk about the challenges facing our kids and parents right now. It was a refreshing, honest conversation.

Day Four

The final day of the walk started in North Guilford. I got a little farther than I had initially planned on day three, so I only had a half-day of walking today.

I started down a gorgeous country road. It made me think about how much Connecticut has to offer. Rural north Guilford is just 10 minutes from the beach, 15 minutes from Yale, and 2 hours to either Manhattan or Boston. Connecticut has it all.

Up the road, I chatted with Liz. She moved here from Massachusetts and LOVES Connecticut. She runs a vocational training school, and she wanted to talk about lowering the cost of advanced degrees. So important!

Eventually, I made my way to Guilford’s town green, where I had the chance to meet more small business owners and people who were hanging outside charming local businesses. And from there, I met up with my friend (and former staffer) State Representative Sean Scanlon and we started down the final stretch toward the shoreline.

After four days and 60 miles of walking, I couldn’t ask for a more picturesque ending with a sunset at Jacob’s Beach in Guilford. A great crowd welcomed me, and I even had a chance to host a mini town hall.

I don’t know if the health app on my phone is totally accurate, but it says that I averaged more than 30,000 steps a day over the four days.

So yes, by the end I was tired and my feet hurt — but I was also totally mentally energized by the walk. This walk helps me stay connected to what matters to people in Connecticut, and I meet so many interesting people along the way.

It also reaffirms my faith in the state. So many people seek me out because they are passionate about something — from voting rights to education to strengthening our pension system. People have things they care about, and they still believe that democracy is the answer. And obviously, so do I.

The Walk Across Connecticut is one of my favorite weeks of the year. And I’m so grateful to the people of Connecticut for allowing me to have this job.

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

Paid for by Friends of Chris Murphy

This email was sent to [email protected]. If you need to update your contact info, click here. We try to send only the most important info and opportunities to participate via email, but if you want to, you can unsubscribe here. If you would like to support Senator Murphy's fight for our shared values, please consider making a donation today.