Campaigns can be fairly opaque to those who only see the candidates in half-hour blasts as they bounce from one event to the next. So I thought it would be useful to give a "Day in the Life" account of a recent, action-packed day on my Senate campaign. What follows is a very long, very detailed, behind-the-scenes account of Sunday, January 22, on the campaign trail.
9:00 a.m. "Good morning, church!"
Rob's volunteered to drive me today, and he picks me up in Cheshire at 9am. The day starts with church in New Haven. I'm scheduled to stop by three different services at churches on Dixwell Avenue in New Haven. These aren't campaign stops. Though African-American churches normally open their doors to candidates come election time, I don't want to wait until campaign season to develop these relationships. So I'm making three short visits to introduce myself to church leaders and their congregations. The energy in all three churches this morning is phenomenal. The enthusiasm is contagious, and I greet each congregation with a loud and friendly, "Good morning, church!" when it's my turn to stand up and speak. I talk for a few minutes (and even elicit a few "Amens" along the way), and stay long enough at each service to hear some wonderful gospel music. There's no better way to start a Sunday morning.
11:30 a.m. "I am neither Italian nor a woman"
Next stop is the National Organization of Italian American Women's award ceremony in New Haven. Rosa DeLauro is emceeing, and she is in her element. She rocks it. Unfortunately, I show up just after breakfast is served. Rats. I am HUNGRY. Campaigning can be cruel on the stomach--there's food at almost every event, but there's never time to eat. I crunch the ice from my water cup as Senator Blumenthal gets up on the stage. He opens by noting that he is neither Italian nor a woman. Laughs. Democratic chairwoman Nancy DiNardo is getting an award, but I have to bolt before she gets recognized. When Dick gets up to leave, I use him as cover, whisper congratulations to Nancy, and head out the back door.
1:00 p.m. "Half of the Board of Alderman is here!!"
I have to rush out of that event because my next stop is Rosa's house, and she is clearly not going to be there on time. This is the signature event of the day - a fundraiser hosted by Rosa and her husband Stan Greenberg that is doubling as a launch party to announce some of our supporters in New Haven. The event isn't fifteen minutes old yet and the place is PACKED. Sixteen of the 30 new Alderman are there (many of them giving me their endorsement), four members of the state legislative delegation, and even the Mayor himself (he's not endorsing, but came by to listen). The buzz is awesome, and after State Senator Marty Looney and State Representatives Toni Walker, Gary Holder-Winfield, and Roland Lemar offer their endorsements, I get up to say a few words. The event is running long so I keep it short, say a few quick goodbyes, and head out the door.
3:00 p.m. "I Know You!"
It's about a twenty minute drive to the home of David and Senator Gayle Slossberg, where I'm due to receive the endorsement of my good friend Gayle, along with the new Mayor of Milford Ben Blake, and veteran Woodbridge First Selectman Ed Sheehey. Again, the event is packed. Gayle did an awesome job bringing in some important people from Milford, Orange, West Haven, and Woodbridge. Since I'm in Washington so much, I can't get around to all the official Democratic Town Committee meetings that take place during the week, so these meet-and-greets are a key way for me to connect with influential local Democrats. As I'm getting ready to speak, a guy my age introduces himself to me and says we went to Boys State (a high school mock government program) together. "I know you!" I exclaim. Jim Maroney had been elected Governor of that particular Boys State, and I remember being totally envious. I haven't seen him in twenty years, and he just got elected to the Milford Board of Education!
5:00 p.m. "I'm Not Resigning"
It's a miracle we're still running on time. This is a crazy day. Two members of my political staff, Sean Scanlon and Kenny Curran, have been running from event to event to advance each one, trying to stay a few minutes ahead of Rob and I. So far, it's working brilliantly. The 5:00 event is a party in Hamden put together by Mayor Scott Jackson, an old friend, and the Hamden Democratic Chairman, Joe McDonagh. There's been some intrigue surrounding this event, after McDonagh sent out a press release teasing the event as "a major announcement" from Mayor Jackson. Scott is one of the most capable, talented Mayors in the state, and there's always a rumor around that he's going to get scooped up to take a major state or federal appointment. Much to the gossipmongers' chagrin, the only news was Jackson's endorsement of me. He gave a rousing, inspiring speech, prompting me to begin my remarks by introducing a new campaign rule to my staff: "This is the last time I'm following Scott Jackson on a speaking program." After I spend a few minutes talking with my good friends of the state legislature, Peter Villano and Brendan Sharkey, who are there to support me, I grab a slice of pepperoni and cheese bread and scurry out the door.
7:30 p.m. "Umpawaug Road does not sound like it's right off the highway"
Last stop: Redding! As we leave, Rob notes that the address sounds like we'll be traveling on a few classic Connecticut back roads. I've been meaning to get to see the Redding Democratic Town Committee for months, but it just never works out. Turns out that they are having a fundraiser tonight, and they are willing to convene a short meeting afterward to hear from me. As we make the drive from Hamden, I shut down my blackberry. The Giants-49ers game starts at 6:30, and I'm determined to block out any news so I can watch it on DVR when I get home. (As a huge sports fan, I've gotten pretty good at "going dark" like this over the years so I can watch the games unspoiled.) There's still a good crowd left when I arrive, and my speech seems to really connect. I get a fantastic response, the most exciting coming from Mary Ann Guitar, the matriarch of the Redding Democrats. She's been supporting me from the beginning of the Senate campaign, but we've actually never met. "You're alright!" she exclaims at the end of my remarks. It turns out that today is actually her 90th birthday, so we sing and blow out candles on a cake. She's looking great at 90!
11:30 p.m. "Sssshhhhhhhhhh"
I get home by 10:30. 8 events and countless major endorsements in 13 hours. Not bad. As I walk in the door, my wife Cathy hands me our 2-month-old baby. I couldn't do this without her, and she deserves to be able to head to bed after being with the kids all day. I sit down on the couch, turn on the game, and start the process of "shushing" Rider to sleep. He sleeps on and off on my chest for the next hour and a half as I "speed-watch" the NFC Championship game. At around 12:30, the game ends (Giants win!!) at almost the exact time Rider awakes ready for a feeding. I wake up Cathy (who got a whole hour of sleep!), and crawl into bed.
CWA President Bill Henderson took a moment to explain why he's on Team Murphy and discuss how fired up the union is to help elect Chris to the U.S. Senate.
At the last fundraising deadline, we shared a map highlighting the volume of individual contributors to our campaign since its launch in January.
Every pin on the map represented a unique individual with their own personal reason for contributing to Chris Murphy's campaign.
Some cite Chris's "Buy American" work to create good jobs at home, others appreciate his consistent voice and vote to end the wars abroad. Opposing the Patriot Act, standing up for transparency on the Supreme Court and his recent fight against religious discrimination are a few others.
But there was one pin missing in your town ...
Yours.
The final fundraising deadline of the year comes to a close next week. Make a contribution of $10 right now and add your name to the map:
Last week, Lowe's Home Improvement, a Fortune 100 company, pulled its ads from the new cable reality show, All-American Muslim, under pressure from a radical anti-Muslim group that claims the show unfairly portrays American Muslims in a favorable light. The group, based in Florida, says that Muslim-Americans' true aim is to destroy America, and any show that ignores this fact should be forced off the air.
This is outlandish bigotry, pure and simple. But it builds on a growing anti-Muslim bias that simmers just below the surface of public acceptability. And Lowe's, by pulling their ads from a perfectly benign show about Muslim-Americans, elevates and endorses this strengthening prejudice.
So I decided to do something about it. Yesterday morning, I went to the floor of the House of Representatives to call out Lowe's association with base bigotry. Then I spent the rest of the day collecting signatures of Members of Congress to a letter calling on Lowe's to reconsider their decision to pull their ads.
Join me and send a letter to Lowe's sharing your thoughts about their decision to pull their ads from All-American Muslim.
I've made my voice count on this issue. America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, and I just cannot stand by silent as a major American company endorses this kind of bigotry against a major American religious group.
Why sign-up to receive mobile alerts from the team?
When we received the Connecticut Fire Fighters endorsement, supporters found out about it via a mobile alert on their cell phones.
When a Daily Kos/SEIU poll came out showing our campaign had the highest approval ratings of any Democratic candidate and was in the best position to defeat all potential Republican rivals next November, we shared the news first via text message.
Signing up to receive text messages from our campaign is one the best ways to stay in touch with what Chris is up to on the trail.
There are two ways to do it:
1.) Take out your cell phone and text the word CHRIS to 228466
As we move into the next phase of the campaign, we'll use text messaging to provide you with meaningful opportunities to participate in addition to sharing breaking news.
You can also rest easy knowing we'll never abuse the privilege of being able to send you messages directly to your cell phone. Only the most important alerts from the campaign will find their way to you.
Our grassroots fundraising program is one of the most important responsibilities you can accept as part of Team Murphy.
Creating your page and recruiting new, first-time small dollar contributors to the campaign is our best chance to fight back against McMahon's millions.
So far, dozens of people have signed up as grassroots fundraisers pledging to raise an average of just over $350 each. As those numbers grow, you can begin to see the potential power of the program.
I just wanted to write a quick note about the great day I had yesterday in southeastern Connecticut with my good friend and colleague Representative Joe Courtney.
As I build this campaign for Senate, I'm placing a emphasis on getting to know the people, businesses, and priorities of eastern Connecticut. I'm honored to have Joe Courtney's support in this race, and I'm leaning on him to show me the ropes east of the river so that if I'm lucky enough to become Connecticut's Senator, I can hit the ground running.
Yesterday, Joe and I made three stops in southeast Connecticut. We spent the morning at the Groton Sub Base, meeting with the base's leadership and discussing strategy to keep the base in Groton for the long term. We saw the amazing work happening at the submarine school, toured the USS Pittsburgh as it readied to head out to sea after Christmas, and had a long lunch with Admiral Brekenridge where we discussed the importance of maintaining a strong submarine fleet in the military arsenal.
From Groton we travelled to Pawcatuck for a tour of Davis-Standard, one of the region's leading manufacturers. Like the 5th District, manufacturing is a critical part of the economy of eastern Connecticut. As we walked through the factory and chatted with some of the 350+ employees, I heard a familiar refraign - energy costs are too high, and foreign competition in increasing. But Davis-Standard is still doing well, and Joe and I committed to do everything we could to keep them growing.
Our last stop was another great southeastern Connecticut small business - the Cottrell Brewery. Since 1996, Cottrell has been brewing Old Yankee Ale and four newer microbrews. Their sales are increasing, and the small, dedicated staff are eager to join with other Connecticut breweries to market our state's growing array of craft beers. Over a few samples, we talked a little local football as I became acquainted with the passionate local Thanksgiving rivalry of Stonington-Westerly.
This wasn't my first trip through eastern Connecticut, and it certainly won't be my last. As a lifelong Connecticut resident, I know a lot about every region of the state, but there's no better guide in eastern Connecticut than Joe Courtney. We had a great day yesterday, and it just whetted my appetite to come back for more.
If you have any ideas of places for me to stop by in your neck of the woods, please shoot me an email at chris@chrismurphy.com.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and keep in touch.
My name is Sean Scanlon and I am the Field Director here on Team Murphy. As we head into the new year, we're looking for interns to join our growing grassroots effort next spring and summer to elect Chris Murphy the next United States Senator from Connecticut.
This is an exciting time to get involved in a campaign. While the election may seem far away, the first steps of the process are right around the corner. In May, Democrats from all over Connecticut will gather at the Democratic Convention in Hartford to select the party's official nominee. Interns joining Team Murphy for the spring semester will play a pivotal role in helping to organize our convention efforts so that we can make sure Chris is the endorsed candidate of the Connecticut Democratic Primary.
However, the convention is just the first step of the process. Next August, Connecticut Democrats will likely go to the polls to vote in the Democratic primary for Senate. Interns joining Team Murphy for the summer will get hands-on organizing experience helping our field team spread the word about Chris and Get Out The Vote (GOTV).
If you're looking for a fast-paced, hands-on internship on a surging grassroots campaign for U.S. Senate, please take a moment and fill out some information at the link below and then upload a copy of your resume and cover letter. Once we have received your information, we'll be in touch shortly.
Cathy, Owen, and I are thrilled to welcome to the world Rider James Murphy (Rider is old family name on the Murphy side). Born on 11/11/11, he checked in at 7 lb, 7 oz - pretty big for arriving almost a month early. Owen is excited, and has already said he'll share his fire trucks (but his trains are off limits).
We're proud to announce that the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 have joined Team Murphy.
"Local 478 is pleased to be able to support candidates like you who work hard protecting the foundation on which middle class America is built. Your commitment to re-building our nation's infrastructure combined with your steadfastness to protecting those programs that take care of the most vulnerable members of our society, the very young and the very old, is matched by few of your peers in Congress. You have a proven track record of looking out for the interest of Connecticut's working class families and for that we are greatly appreciative."
A message that just went out the Team Murphy email list of supporters from campaign manager, Kenny Curran.
It looks like Linda McMahon's entry into the 2012 Senate race is right around the corner.
Connecticut Post: "McMahon jockeys behind the scenes in build-up to Senate bid"
Westport-News: "McMahon close to launching another Senate bid"
So here we go ...
The good news is that every poll of our race shows Chris is the best candidate to take on McMahon's millions: a Daily Kos/SEIU poll showed us leading 54-36 and a poll done by Republican Frank Luntz shows a similar 52-36 spread.
But as McMahon readies to enter the race, we've got to send her a clear message that we're going to be able to fight back against her slash-and-burn campaign tactics.
Between now and the time McMahon announces her candidacy - perhaps in a few weeks - we've set a goal of raising $10,000 from 300 individual contributors online.
News reports indicate McMahon has tapped an out-of-state campaign manager to lead the charge, a notorious Tea Party favorite to play a prominent strategic role in her effort, and a veteran GOP consultant who was the chief advisor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!
Can you contribute $10, $20, $50 or more today to help us hit our goal of 300 individual contributions by the time she jumps in?
On August 22, Chris will participate in a "Back to School Supply Drive" to benefit Pathways/Senderos. Join him and get involved by donating school & Hygiene supplies before the game!
Here are the details:
What: COYC School Supply Drive (donations will go to Pathways-Senderos) Date: August 22, 2011 Time: 6pm to 7pm Location: Rock Cats Stadium, 230 John Karbonic Way New Britain, CT 06051
Here's the Rock Cats schedule to get tickets to the game (link). And here's the Rock Cats homepage to get more information about the home team.
As I am sure you know, the House just voted to increase the debt limit. I voted against the bill.
I heard from many of you throughout this debate. The phones were ringing off the hook and emails flooded my inbox. In the end, what I heard from people across the state was that we needed to raise the debt ceiling, while making sure that any related deficit reduction was done in a way that shared the pain, protected our social safety net, and helped put people back to work.
Abby from Middlebury sent these thoughts:
"Please focus on extending the debt so we do not default AND protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security not only for the elderly today but for future generations. Don't let the Republicans eviscerate the social safety net!!!"
Tonight, I wanted to take a moment and share why I voted the way I did, and to ask for your thoughts.
First, there is no question that the debt limit needs to be increased. And there is no question that we need to make hard choices to dramatically bring down our deficit. But this crisis was totally manufactured by a small group of extreme right wingers who are intent not on simply reducing government spending, but on destroying government altogether. And the bill that resulted was rightly described by most political commentators as a victory for their cause.
I was willing to vote for a compromise. But this was not a compromise, it was a near complete capitulation.
Look, I work hard to promote bi-partisanship and cooperation across the aisle. I lead a group in the House called the Center-Aisle Caucus designed to bring Members - Republicans and Democrats - together to get to know each other and to start building the bonds that might make this place work better. In my work on the Buy American agenda, almost every effort I put forward is done with bipartisan support. If I believed this was a true compromise where both sides were giving up significant concessions, I would have voted for it.
But this bill didn't ask one corporation to give back a single tax break. This bill didn't ask one billionaire to pay a dime more in taxes. And all the spending on the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars were exempt from the spending caps in the bill. Without putting revenue on the table, and mandating the end to these wars, we can't be serious about real shared sacrifice.
And while I have long been willing to speak out on the need for spending cuts, the cuts in this bill - including major, arbitrary cuts to Medicare - fall disproportionately on the backs of seniors and the middle class.
I was hoping that I would have some time back home in Connecticut before voting on this bill to hear from even more of my neighbors and constituents (it's especially ironic that the party that complained that the health care bill was "jammed through" after one year of debate, didn't even allow for 24 hours of sunlight on this $2 trillion piece of legislation). But this false crisis meant that I had to make the call based on what I thought was right.
In the end, I could not support a bill that fed the extremist drive to kill off government one piece at a time. And I could not endorse a process that rewards legislative hostage-taking, resulting in hasty, under-informed decision making. That's what I think. But just as importantly, I want to know what you think. Please let me know by clicking here:
While I certainly respect those who voted for this bill, I firmly believe this was not the right product or process for this great and compassionate nation.
Thank you for reading this. Now that we are past this manufactured crisis, I will continue to focus on what people tell me they care about most: creating jobs and opportunities for people across Connecticut and around the nation.
We're asking people to sign-up to host team meetings in their home for Chris.
Let us know you're interested and we'll be in touch with all the tools you need to make your event a success.
The three M's: money, message and mobilization.
As the campaign manager for Team Murphy, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to raise the money needed to win a competitive race, spread the campaign's message to voters across the state and mobilize enough supporters to deliver victory next November.
We're doing great on the money front. Powered by well over 2,500 individual contributions since we launched, our campaign hit its fundraising goals for the second straight quarter, collecting over 1,000 individual donations from Connecticut residents in the last three months alone.
We've generated a good deal of earned media, as well. You may have seen the big news that the Fire Fighters became the fourth statewide labor union to join Team Murphy yesterday.
Now it's time to focus on mobilization.
We're going to win this race by empowering supporters to get in the game and spread the word about Chris to their family, friends and neighbors.
Would you be willing to start that conversation by hosting a team meeting at your house for the campaign?
The team meetings promise to serve as the foundation for the kind of grassroots campaigns Chris has famously run in the past.
Only this time, instead of stopping at the doorstep to hold a conversation with a potential supporter, we'll come inside to have an old fashioned discussion about issues that affect your families and community.
Hosting a team meeting is easy, but the first step is indicating your willingness to do so.
Once you sign-up we'll be in touch with all the tools you need to host and promote your team meeting to family, friends and neighbors in your community.
You won't be alone on the big day either. Let us know if you're interested in having Chris or someone from the campaign stop by or call into your meeting.
We'll do everything we can to help ensure a successful event.
Photos and Video courtesy of Al Robinson of My Left Nutmeg. You can read the press release announcing the endorsement here. Take a look at the pictures as a slideshow here.
