HARTFORD -- Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has been a supporter of Hillary Clinton since she announced she was running for president.
Wednesday, he gave the following statement at a news conference following her loss to Donald Trump:
Good morning. We are blessed to live in not just the best country on earth, but the most magnificent democracy in the history of the world. While I am disappointed in the results of last night’s presidential election, I know that we are not weakened as a country or a state. We are resilient.
Here are three reasons why.
First, nationally we will have a peaceful transition of power from one leader to another, no matter how strongly any of us feel about the results.
We should not for one second take this transition for granted, or fail to recognize just how important it is, and how special it makes us and other democracies around the world. At the end of any election – federal, state or municipal – the peaceful transition of power is at the very heart of what it means to be free.
Second, each of us, and most importantly our friends in the press, can say whatever we want about the results of this election. We will ask questions of one another, and demand answers. We will analyze, and pontificate, and second-guess for months to come.
Some of us will be loud, some thoughtful, some angry, some resigned… but we will all be Americans, united in our cherished ability to be and say whatever we want.
Third, I believe that coming out of a period of partisan discord, we can and will return our focus to what unites us. At the core of this election, and perhaps at the core of the results, was that a very large portion of our country feels left behind or left out… they feel like they are no longer sharing equally in our nation’s promise of prosperity.
We may disagree on how to fix that, but the feeling is shared among people of different races, religions, genders, states, and political parties. Now, we can work to understand and even embrace that dynamic in our country, and work together to fix it, because we all deserve to participate in the American Dream.
Many people will be asking themselves, what comes next? Put simply, we continue to work. We take care of our children. We remember that regardless of party, there are good people working hard at every level of government. Good people working hard at businesses both large and small to grow jobs and improve our economy. Good people working hard in their spare time to make their communities, their schools, and their world a better place.
Here in Connecticut, we are presented with a unique opportunity to once again lead by example for our nation. In recent years, we have come together across party lines on many important issues. Now, with a different dynamic at play in the legislature, we have an opportunity and even an obligation to work even better together, to find even more common ground.
To that end, I plan to invite legislative leaders from both parties to begin informal discussions in the weeks ahead about how we move forward together. We should sit together around a table and have a frank discussion of our goals, but more importantly of how we achieve those goals. How we can change the ways we work together, share ideas, and make progress.
Connecticut can show the country that we can continue to make progress, even when we feel divided. We can demonstrate that it is possible to fight hard throughout a tough election, and then get back to work on behalf of our constituents.
Thank you.
Several other high-profile Democrats in the state spoke out on the election results as well.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal also expressed disappointment, but particularly over the fact that the White House, Senate and House of Representatives will all be led by Republicans.
Sen. Chris Murphy agreed. "Last night was a gut punch for us. It was tough and it's gonna be tough for awhile to come."
However, both Connecticut senators say this will not be a set back for America.
"There are areas we can clearly move forward and agree and forge consensus," said Blumenthal. He pointed to job creation, a fairer tax system, and securing America. "Making our defense stronger as we are safer and secure by fighting extremist violence abroad so as to keep it away from this country."
Both are willing to see how and if Donald Trump can move the country forward, especially when it comes to the big infrastructure package Trump is touting.
"Well, that's something that scratches the surface in Connecticut where it itches. I'm coming in and listening to his agenda and to not oppose it just because we're on different sides of the election."
If there are disagreements, Murphy says, "I'm gonna fight him."
Blumenthal says, "We can disagree with the President of the United States and I have with President Obama."
