As voters in Connecticut prepare to elect their representative in the upcoming election, they should consider reelecting Richard Blumenthal, because he has proved to be a capable leader.
Blumenthal assumed office as a member of the U.S. Senate in 2011. However, this was not his first time in office since he had served as the Connecticut Attorney General from 1991. Between 1987 and 1991, he was a member of the Connecticut State Senate, and between 1984 and 1987 he served in the Connecticut House of Representatives. Blumenthal has also been a member of various committees, with the most recent ones being the Committee on Aging (Special), the Committee on the Judiciary, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Voters in Connecticut cannot afford to leave such an experienced leader for a non-starter.
Since he assumed office as the Senator of Connecticut in 2010, Blumenthal has been at the forefront of encouraging pharmaceutical companies to push for laws to reduce the prices of prescription drugs, and eventually forcing drug companies to enter into negotiations on capping prescription costs with Medicare. A people's defender is what Connecticut is looking for, and they already have one in the name of Blumenthal.
Sen. Blumenthal is a defender of women, something he does without relenting. For a longer time, he has fought for women's rights by advocating for women to make their own personal decisions concerning their health care rather than have the government do it for them. He does not only do this through advocacy but also through legislation. For instance, when he sensed that the Supreme Court would come up with a disastrous ruling overturning Roe, Senator Blumenthal put forth the Women's Health Protection Act, whose aim was to make Roe the country's law. If re-elected, he promises to spearhead the war against the attempts by Republicans to pass a countrywide abortion law.
One of the other issues on top of Senator Blumenthal's list of priorities is veterans. His experience as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves doesn't allow him to leave this group behind. He led the passage of the PACT Act, a recently spearheaded bipartisan law that extends health care as well as benefits to a large number of veterans impacted by poisonous substances in burn pits and some parts of Afghanistan and Iraq. The incumbent senator also drafted the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, which was signed into law during Obama's administration to tackle the saddening disaster of suicide among veterans.
Senator Blumenthal has been advocating for the transformative climate as well as environmental justice provisions in the budget reconciliation bill that was passed last year in the U.S. House. He has also led the war against a windfall profits tax on gas and oil companies, saved consumers from exorbitant natural gas rates, and enhanced air quality monitoring. The senator has relentlessly fought for the protection of the Long Island Sound as well as PFAS laws. Earlier this year, he supported the bill to change the Senate rules to pass important voting laws.
Senator Blumenthal is not only a well-known leader but also a performer. His legacy for the time he has represented Connecticut speaks for itself. On the other hand, his opponent, Levy, is a stranger to many. Connecticut voters should vote for a leader who has been there to offer a solution to their problems, which is none other than Senator Richard Blumenthal.
