Friends -

One of my favorite things that I do each year is my walk across Connecticut.

This month marked my sixth walk from one end of the state to the other. I get to meet hundreds of people all across the state, most of whom have no daily interest in politics. People don’t expect to meet their Senator in a t-shirt and baseball cap, and the conversations I get to have are informal, authentic, and really helpful to me as I try to stay grounded in what matters to people in Connecticut.

This year, I went 65 miles from northwest Connecticut to New Haven — and, for the first time, it was multi-modal. Maybe you followed along on social media or maybe we even ran into each other along the way.

Today I wanted to share a bit of what I heard and saw along my walk.

Day One

This year, my walk across Connecticut actually started in a kayak. In Massachusetts. While some may call that cheating, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to paddle the beautiful Housatonic.

We quickly crossed into North Canaan, Connecticut, opting for the shorter class one rapids over the longer class two rapids, and after about 90 minutes, I was once again land-bound and starting my walk.

Kayak launch on the Housatonic River in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts.

On the first leg of my walk, I met a man doing some yard work on his front lawn. He was a Guatemalan immigrant who has called Connecticut home for 24 years. He’s a carpenter who has done work all over the state while raising his family, but he’s undocumented. He told me that he was getting ready to celebrate July Fourth “because I love my country.”

A little further down the road, I met Ted and Casey at their family farm in Falls Village. Ted drives an hour each way to work and wanted to talk about gas prices. He said that thankfully he has a union job that pays a good wage, but the extra he’s been paying for gas has taken a big bite out of his paycheck.

After a few hours of walking, I took a quick break for lunch at Falls Village Cafe with Falls Village First Selectman Henry Todd and Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand. The cafe is a new spot, and it was great.

Stopping for lunch at Falls River Cafe in Falls River, Connecticut.

After lunch, a few area friends joined me for the portion of the day’s walk that took me on the Appalachian Trail. State Representative Maria Horn, who represents Connecticut’s 64th House District, joined us and we talked about the real need to get more high-speed internet access to northwestern Connecticut. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which was signed into law last November, included millions of dollars for broadband infrastructure across our state. Soon, Connecticut families in rural areas like Falls Village will start to see a return on investment when it comes to high-speed internet access.

Hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail in northwestern Connecticut.

A little while later, I met a nice couple from Fairfield who were staying at the beautiful Mayflower Inn to celebrate a birthday and spending the day learning to fly fish. So far, they told me, she’d caught the biggest fish. A nice reminder that there is no better weekend getaway than the picture-perfect Litchfield County.

For my last stop of the day, I dropped by Covered Bridge Electric Bike, an electric bike shop tucked away behind the West Cornwall Covered Bridge. I met Bob and his family, who have run the shop for the past three years. In the summer months especially, when there’s no shortage of warm afternoons to bike around the (admittedly steep) Litchfield hills, demand for their bikes surges.

Covered Bridge Electric Bike with shop-owner Bob.

In an era of nonstop mass murder, the world gets small. Outside the bike shop, I met two couples visiting from suburban Chicago. They live near the Highland Park parade route that was the site of the tragic shooting on July Fourth. One of their friends was shot in the foot, and another friend heard a bullet whiz by his ear.

I’m confident that the bipartisan gun safety bill we passed into law last month will save lives. But what unfolded on July Fourth in Illinois is a reminder of the work still ahead.

Talking with a family from Illinois after news of the shooting in Highland Park.

The day ended with a visit from a longtime friend, Cornwall farmer and First Selectman Gordon Ridgeway, who found me along the route and brought me some squash and maple syrup from his farm.

On day one, I covered four miles of kayaking and 15 miles of walking. Every time I do this walk, I relearn just how beautiful this state really is.

Day Two

I started off day two of the walk in Cornwall staring down a 450 foot hill. It is a daunting task when you’re alone. I was thankful Connie and Paul met up with me to walk up a portion of that big hill.

They’re part of a small group of people that’s doing a lot of important work to preserve the ecology of this beautiful corner of our state. Our conversation about environmental stewardship in northwest Connecticut helped get my mind off my aching legs.

Connie, Paul, and I stopped for a photo outside Mohawk State Forest

A lot of people who aren’t from here think Connecticut is one big New York suburb. This walk was a perfect reminder that it isn’t. On one short stretch of Route 4 in Litchfield County alone, there was great fishing and hiking, gorgeous lakes, even honor code art galleries, and bison meat!

Farther down the road, I did something I don’t often do: I stopped off in a cemetery. Connecticut is dotted with really old cemeteries, filled with history. When I stopped in Goshen I found two of my relatives (my grandmother was a Griswold). Yet another reason I love the walk — I get to explore our state in ways I would never otherwise.

Two of my relatives from the early 1800’s buried in Goshen.

After about three hours of walking, I stopped at Nodine’s Smokehouse in Goshen and grabbed lunch with Republican First Selectman Todd Carusillo. We talked about the affordability crisis facing young families today. Between rising housing prices and giant student loans, it’s harder than ever to afford to start a family.

Lunch with Goshen’s First Selectmen, a sandwich from Nodine’s.

As I set off down Route 63 towards Litchfield, some more people joined me for a stretch of my walk. Along the way, I walked with Bill and Will, two very friendly people on an otherwise lonely road.

Will, a digital producer for MSNBC, moved with his family to CT during the pandemic.

Heading into Litchfield, I couldn’t pass up the chance to stop in at the Connecticut Junior Republic. It was fascinating to hear about their work and to meet a few of the farm animals! I’m grateful for all they do to help kids involved in juvenile court get back on the right track.

Learning about the hands-on educational opportunities offered at CJR in their greenhouse.

Talking to people in Litchfield, I heard about a lot of good things going on in town. Two new hotels are coming, and restaurants are back doing brisk business.

Talking with diners in Litchfield about the community.

On my walk to the Litchfield Community Center for my town hall, I stopped at the Litchfield Candy Company for a snack to keep my energy up. Chocolate covered pretzels might not have been the best fuel for a walk across Connecticut, but they were excellent.

After that, I went on to have a great town hall meeting in Litchfield with a surprise guest: Congresswoman Jahana Hayes! It was perfect — when she was speaking I got to sit down and rest.

Thank you to everyone who came out to meet me and asked such insightful questions, and thank you, Jahana, for sharing the floor with me.

Our town hall meeting at the Litchfield Community Center.

Day Three

Day three of the walk started bright and early on the Litchfield and Morris town line.

After rain the previous night, Morris was buggy but beautiful. Along the way, I passed farm fresh eggs and some pristine natural landscapes. A couple of miles in, Marsha stopped to say hello and join me on the road. She works at Bantam Tileworks — a great local artisan shop run by my friends Travis and Darin. We talked about the exciting growing cluster of design businesses in Litchfield County.

Further down Route 63, my friend Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman joined me to walk a mile in Morris. Eva is running for State Senate in the 30th district and is going to bring some fantastic new energy to Hartford. I was thankful to her for keeping me company.

Walking along Route 63.

As I crossed into Watertown, a man hopped off his lawnmower, very angry about Ukraine. He told me that he thinks that the war in Ukraine is “none of our business” and that our focus should be on issues closer to home — his idea was more domestic oil drilling. He wasn’t a big fan of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act either. Just in case people think I only met supporters out there, that’s certainly not always the case.

Wandering through downtown, I met a few more interesting people.

I met Stephanie, a nutritionist who started Simply Bowls in Watertown with her husband, who is an accomplished chef. Together, they’re in the business of making meals that are delicious and healthy.

I also talked to a pharmacist from Romania about natural medicine, a high school English teacher about politics in the classroom, a restaurant owner about COVID relief programs, and a mom about school-based mental health.

Chatting with constituents in Watertown.

With temperatures in the 80’s, that morning’s 15-mile walk from Litchfield was going to get me to Waterbury just in time to join HHS Secretary Becerra in town for a roundtable on our gun violence and mental health bill. Since there was no time to shower or change I made one last important stop on my way into town to “freshen up”.

Quick deodorant run in Waterbury.

I was really grateful to Secretary Becerra for coming to Waterbury to visit Family & Children’s Aid. We talked about how the $12 billion in mental health funding in our gun safety bill is going to help kids in Waterbury. Then, he challenged me to take an over-the-head-shot in the gym. Luckily, I nailed it.

Visit to Family & Children’s Aid in Waterbury with Secretary Becerra.

Next stop was one of my favorites of the day — lunch in Waterbury at (one of) the best hot dog joints in Connecticut, Frankies. I was also glad I got the chance to stop and chat with customers while we ate.

Lunch at Frankies in Waterbury.

As I started my last stretch of the day on Highland Avenue in Waterbury, I ran into Tori and Teri, who were offering a pretty good deal on some cold, tasty lemonade. I stopped for a cup.

Stopping for some cold lemonade on Highland Avenue in Waterbury.

With the day winding down, some people at the Speak Easy Cafe were nice enough to invite me to sit with them and crash their happy hour. One woman told me about how she has had trouble making mortgage payments since she lost her job during the pandemic. I told her about the MyHomeCT program and some of the mortgage assistance resources that are available out there.

Day Four

The fourth and final day of my annual Walk Across Connecticut started in Naugatuck and headed toward New Haven.

One of my priorities in Congress is to build more healthy, fun summer programming for kids. As a parent, I know how much kids need a break and how hard it is to find affordable care. About thirty minutes into my walk, I passed by the Naugatuck YMCA summer camp and stopped in to thank the staff who do the important work of caring for our kids.

The biggest reason I do this walk every year is the people I meet along the way. I want to tell you two stories of people I met in Naugatuck — both examples of how this walk impacts the way I think about policy.

First, I met Kaylee, an expecting mom. She lives in subsidized housing and pays 25% of her income in rent. But she’s getting married, and the housing authority is upping her rent because of the double income. But the net result is both she and her husband will pay a greater percent of income in rent. It is a true “marriage penalty.”

Dolly owns Personal Pampering Salon and has noticed recently that the care products she imports from China have been causing infections for her clients. So she has switched to American-made products. She asked why there isn’t more scrutiny of Chinese imports.

Kaylee and Dolly are people I would probably never have met if I didn’t do this walk. But they raised real issues that will inform the way I think about, and vote on, housing policy and trade policy.

With Kaylee (left) and Dolly (right) in downtown Naugatuck.

Next, I met Salaam and his brother Samir. Salaam owns a gas station in Naugatuck. His brother, Samir, just arrived from Yemen after working as a guard at the U.S. embassy. Grateful Yemeni-Americans, they send every dollar they can back to their family in war-torn Sana’a.

With brothers Salaam (left) and Samir (right) in Naugatuck.

Next, I met Ann and Keith, who stopped to talk to me during my walk. They help run Amity Allies, which works to fight discrimination in the local schools.

With Ann and Keith in Naugatuck.

Every year, when I do this walk, one thing that is constantly on the mind of the parents I meet is the epidemic of gun violence in this country. Shortly after I crossed into Bethany, a local mom stopped me along the walk, fighting back tears. She told me:

“I tell my son ‘I love you’ every morning when he gets on the bus, because after Uvalde, I want to make sure it’s the last thing I say to him if he doesn’t make it home. It’s unacceptable I have to think that way.”

This year more than ever, I spoke to parents who are scared for the safety of their kids in school. But they all had hope, and they let me know how grateful they were for our work last month to pass the bipartisan gun safety bill.

With a young family in Bethany, Connecticut.

After 11 miles of walking, I stopped at Billy’s, a local favorite in Bethany, for lunch with Republican First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco. I had a very good meatball sub, and also had the chance to chat with a bunch of loyal Billy’s customers.

At Billy’s in Bethany with First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco.

Walking across the state means plenty of alone time on the road. Luckily, I have some friends join me along the way. Thank you to my friend State Representative Mary Welander for joining me for a little while in Woodbridge.

With State Representative Mary Welander in Woodbridge.

In the last stretch to New Haven, I realized I was running just a little ahead of schedule, so I stopped into the New England Brewing Company for a beer. Connecticut has a growing brewing industry, and it’s always great to see how fast this sector is expanding.

At New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Four days, 13 towns and 65 miles later, I made it to New Haven and across the finish line. There was a nice crowd waiting for me at Southern Connecticut State University’s campus.

Final stop at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

I always say the walk is one of my favorite weeks of the year, and this year was no different. I never get tired of exploring this beautiful state. Each day of this walk and every corner of my route had something new to offer — from the peaks and valleys of the Litchfield hills, to the small businesses dotting Route 63, to the rich diversity, culture, and arts of New Haven. So yes, I was tired and my legs hurt. But I’m also really energized.

This walk helps me stay connected to what matters to people in Connecticut, and I meet so many interesting, kind and passionate people along the way. It’s also a way for me to express my profound gratitude for the opportunity to do this work, and show that I don’t take it for granted. So I want to say a thank you to the people of Connecticut for allowing me to do what I do. I love my job and serving the people of this state.

I’m hanging up my sneakers until next year.

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

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