Connecticut Democrats had a successful Election Day, retaining their hold of the state’s Congressional delegation and expanding their majority in the state House of Representatives.
But Tuesday, some of the state’s top elected Democrats were focused on Donald Trump’s return to the White House and what it could mean for the state.
“Our job together, my job is to protect the people of this state,” Attorney General William Tong (D-Connecticut) said during a press conference at the capitol.
Democrats hold all seven of the Connecticut’s federal legislative seats and each of the state’s top elected offices.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
And many of those officials said they’re already prepared to oppose a Trump administration and Republicans if they try to reduce access to abortion, chip away at LGBTQ+ rights or scale back or repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“We want to reassure the people of Connecticut that our values are still the same,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D-Connecticut) said.
Republicans said Democrats are just trying to stoke fears among the public.
Local
“Do I think the Democrats are blowing smoke? Yeah,” Connecticut Republican Chairman Ben Proto said. “But they’ve been blowing smoke for four years trying to protect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Proto said Trump’s victory marks a “new day in America,” pointing to the strong economy for much of Trump’s first term in office.
Connecticut Democrats said they will work with the Trump administration, despite their concerns.
But at least one fight seems to be brewing. Trump has said he will start a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants when his takes office.
Tong said Connecticut will not cooperate.
“Immigration law enforcement is the province of the federal government and we’re not going to do their job for them,” Tong said.
Both parties said they can learn something from Tuesday’s results. Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Connecticut) said the outcome was a “wake up” for Democrats.
“Democrats lost a lot of working families, we lost a lot of males,” he said.
He and others vowed to focus on economic issues, including affordable housing in Connecticut.
Trump had his strongest showing in Connecticut, trailing Harris by only 12.33% with 91% of precincts reporting.
Yet Republicans couldn’t win a Congressional seat – they last won in 2006 – and their losses in the state House give Democrats a super majority in each chamber of the legislature.
Proto said Republicans will need to see why Trump was able to gain ground when other candidates for the party could not.
“I think a lot of it’s going to require some, you know, some deep introspection on our side,” he said.
