Malloy takes off gloves, bashes state Republicans

Connecticut Governor Dannel P Malloy speaks at the 2018 Connecticut Democratic State Convention, Friday, May 18, 2018, in Hartford, Conn. Connecticut Governor Dannel P Malloy speaks at the 2018 Connecticut Democratic State Convention, Friday, May 18, 2018, in Hartford, Conn. Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Malloy takes off gloves, bashes state Republicans 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

HARTFORD — With the end of his tenure in sight, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has turned sharply partisan, warning Connecticut Democrats that the state would become vulnerable to a tea party rollback of worker rights if Republicans are allowed to win majorities in the General Assembly.

First in a 13-minute speech Friday night to the nearly 2,000 delegates, then during an impromptu news conference outside the Democratic State Convention, Malloy bashed the migration of Trump-style political tactics from Washington and called for Democrats, as diverse as they are, to come together as a team.

“Democrats don’t worry about how rich they can make their friends,” he said. “They worry about how they can make their community richer, how they can improve their schools, how they can make more jobs, how they can spread the wealth as opposed to bring it all in.

“But here’s the hard part about being a Democrat,” Malloy said. “And this is one of the things that separate us from our president: It is our obligation to tell the truth, every single day. Telling the truth is fundamental to our democracy.”

Malloy said that nationally Republicans brag about benefiting their contributors, while withdrawing affordable health care for tens of millions.

“We have to make sure Connecticut does not follow that road,” he said. “We have to make sure that we don’t elect Republicans to the governor’s office, or the attorney general’s office, or the comptroller’s office, or any office. We need to take back the Senate. It makes a difference. It’s important. It’s in our DNA.”

He said campaigns should focus on Democratic successes, including the state’s gun-safety laws, the 30 percent drop in violent crime over the last four years, the $10.10 minimum wage, paid sick leave, LGBT rights, acceptance of unauthorized immigrants who came here as children and pay equity.

Acknowledging the inevitability of primary battles for top-of-of-the-ticket races in August, Malloy stressed that Democrats have to keep their eye on their goals in the fall elections.

“Let no Republican, let no person divide us, who we are, what we are, because we know what we believe and we know what we must accomplish,” Malloy said. “Do not let any Republican lie divide us. Do not them run on our issues. Do not let them run on our successes.”

In response to Malloy, J.R. Romano, Republican state chairman, said that whatever Malloy says, his “legacy of failure” will remain.

“Democrats like to pretend that facts are not facts,” Romano said in a phone interview. “The fact is that Dan Malloy lost GE and hundreds of other businesses, along with the people in that room. That’s a legacy they don’t want to own, but it’s theirs. That room is devoid of reality.”

Malloy’s second four-year term ends when the next General Assembly and governor get sworn in next January.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT