Connecticut state lawmakers appear to be distancing themselves from Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy this election year. On Monday members of the General Assembly voted to override three of the governor’s vetoes. It’s the first time a Malloy veto has been overridden since the governor took office five years ago.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this month, Malloy’s approval rating among Connecticut voters reached an all-time low of 24 percent. That probably explains why lawmakers decided to show their independence from the governor by overriding bills that had been approved by bipartisan majorities.
House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, explained: “We maintain an independence from this governor, from any governor. As a legislature, we reserve the right to the steps that we need to take to preserve the policy initiatives that we passed originally.”
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, blames Senate Democrats for helping sustain five of Malloy’s eight vetoes. “And that’s what I don’t get. If I’m them, I’m running as far away from him as I can get. But no in their infinite political wisdom, they figure let’s just double down and go along with him.”
It should be noted that in the Quinnipiac Poll, members of the state legislature have the same low approval rating as the governor—24 percent.
