Connecticut”™s elected officials have begun to wade into the 2020 presidential election, with Gov. Ned Lamont backing former Vice President Joe Biden”™s campaign for the Democratic Party nomination while U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes endorsing the candidacy of U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California.
Lamont announced his support of Biden on Twitter, running a photograph of the two men during Lamont”™s 2018 gubernatorial race.
“When my campaign needed a final push last fall, @JoeBiden was there,” he tweeted. “I”™ve gotten to know him more over the years and now, I”™m grateful that he”™s thrown his hat in the ring to run against President Trump.”
Lamont also tweeted out admiration of Biden”™s nearly two-dozen rivals for the Democratic nomination. “As Democrats, we are fortunate to have such an impressive field,” he wrote. “The strength of our candidates is good for our democracy and for us as a nation. Joe has spent his entire life fighting for hard working American families. That”™s the kind of President we need now more than ever.”
The Hartford Courant also reported that Lamont contributed $5,600 to Biden”™s campaign in a two-part donation, with half going into the Connecticut primary race that is slated for next April and half into Biden”™s general election fund. Federal election rules place a $2,800 per election limit on donations by individuals.
Separately, the first-term Hayes used an op-ed in Essence magazine”™s online site to endorse Harris for president. Hayes, the first African-American woman from Connecticut to be elected to Congress, reinforced Harris”™ attack on Biden during the recent presidential candidates”™ debate over his views on busing in the 1970s while emphasizing Harris”™ barrier-breaking achievements as a black woman in politics.
“Court-ordered desegregation was never just about making classrooms diverse ”“ it was about access to resources for millions of children around the country who deserved a fair shot at opportunity,” Hayes wrote. “The doors that opened for Kamala to board that school bus each morning were a symbol of the doors that she would be able to open later: becoming the first Black woman District Attorney in California, the first Black woman California Attorney General, and the second Black woman elected to the United States Senate. We should be compelled to hold the same doors open for others.”
