Yesterday, I wrapped up my ninth annual Walk Across Connecticut, and I wanted to share a bit of the behind-the-scenes.

This is my favorite week of the year because I get to talk to hundreds of people who would never call my office about what they want to see from their United States Senator. And when I meet people in a baseball cap, a t-shirt and sneakers, folks tend to drop their guard. They start telling me things about their lives that I am not sure they’d share if they saw me in a suit.

So here’s just a bit of what I heard and saw on this year’s walk:

Day One:

I started in Salisbury, the very northwest corner of the state, and then headed toward Sharon.

I heard a ton about affordable housing here. Brian, a carpenter, said that the economy is good, but not for lower-income workers who can’t afford the scarce rental units. People also wanted to talk about how to stop Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid, which will destroy rural health care.

I was so touched — the kids at Sharon Center School stood outside waiting for me to walk by this morning. Because they had ideas!! So we held a mini town hall. Their ideas for legislation:

1. More protection for endangered whales
2. Lower food costs
3. Ask people to be kinder

I met Jason Doornick, owner of Motoriot, later in the day in Kent. What a cool business — restoring vintage 4x4s and even converting some to electric.

Day Two:

I started back in Kent with a bit of a drizzle, but it cleared up quickly!

I met Kostas and Anna Koulouris, who for 20 years have owned Bulls Bridge Body Shop. He’s a Greek immigrant who has created tons of jobs here. One of a million immigrant success stories. As Trump cuts off legal immigration, he’s going to kill our economy.

I met an elementary school teacher. Her husband needed a kidney transplant, and even though they had insurance, her family lost everything to pay for his care bc the insurer still left them with $100,000 of out-of-pocket expenses. Our decision to allow profiteering off life and death gets to the fundamental unfairness of our economy. Outrageous.

Another woman walked with me a bit later who sounded just exhausted by this economy. She works overtime but doesn’t make enough to save anything for retirement. She chose not to have kids because she feared she couldn’t afford it. She described the whole economy as corrupt and she’s right.

Big turnout for our town hall in New Milford tonight despite only a 24-hour notice that I’d be here. I had to wrap it up after about an hour and 45 minutes of questions because I still had 3 more miles to walk before the day ended!

Day Three:

The day starts in Brookfield, and after two 20-mile days, I was not feeling fantastic. As I cross 50 years of being on this planet and a knee surgery, my body doesn’t bounce back as well as it used to.

People walking their dogs are always a little caught off guard when I stop to talk to them on my walk across the state, but normally, folks are eager to chat. This couple in Brookfield wanted to talk about building more middle-income senior housing in Connecticut. Again, housing!

The other spot I often find people is gas stations. Similarly, folks are a little startled - but always nice - when I walk up to them as they are filling their tank. Todd wanted to talk about supporting public schools. He moved here for the schools and his kids are doing great.

My friend Rep. Jahana Hayes joined me for lunch at the Sycamore Drive-In in Bethel (though she guilted me into not ordering the milkshake bc she said it would be too heavy with 10 miles still to walk today ☹️).

Walking by the Georgetown Owl Pub, I got waved inside by some patrons who recognized me. Had a great conversation with them (I refrained from a mid-walk cocktail) about the best tactics for citizens to fact back against Trump’s corruption.

Day Four:

I started my last day of the walk across Connecticut in Wilton. It was a rainy day, so the roads were a little lonely to start.

I met Jaunita as she was filling her tank. She is so worried about Trump’s assault on journalists and colleges and wanted advice on how she could fight back. A familiar theme across this year’s walk.

I meet so many local heroes on the walk — people who do the right thing quietly, just to do the right thing. Judy was cleaning up the Battle of the Rocks monument in Norwalk and planting some flowers to honor area veterans. Spent some time with her to say thanks.

It was so nice to have a big crowd in Norwalk welcome me at the end of the walk — 4 days and 70 miles of walking this year. I feel so lucky to have this job at this crucial moment of test for our nation. The walk always revitalizes and inspires me.

That’s a wrap, and after a lot of miles on my knees — because yes, I do walk every inch — I’m going to take a rest. But when I head back to Washington, I’ll carry with me all of these stories and ideas to fight for real results for our families.

A lot of politicians don’t do this type of work. For me, it’s just what I think you deserve because you should be able to expect more of your elected officials.

Every best wish,

Chris Murphy

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Friends of Chris Murphy
PO Box 230987
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