By Nicholas Proch

“I’d like to turn over the floor to our next congressman, Chris Murphy.” This sentence was followed by laughter, as Donovan took the microphone. This informal camaraderie was the general feeling of the day, as it was a very small and intimate gathering of supporters.

Chris Donovan is the current Speaker of the House in the Connecticut House of Representatives. He is now running for U.S. Congress, representing Connecticut’s fifth district.

Donovan’s major talking points were about job creation in the state and his track record of doing so. “We’ve raised the minimum wage 12 times, we’ve past-paid sick leave,” he said while listing his accomplishments in the state House.

The Democrat also took the time to address Rick Perry’s recent criticism of the federal social security program. Donovan told the story of his grandfather who came to this country as an immigrant worker and lived to be 93 years old, living off of his earned social security.

Following his quick speech, Donovan took the time to meet and greet the people who took the time on a Saturday morning to come hear him speak.

Donovan also took the time after his speech to talk informally about education and the workforce; both hot plate items for the Democratic Party right now.

“Why are we laying off teachers, when we know people need jobs and we need teachers?” Donovan asked. He continued by saying, “these are not just a job, but a good job with good benefits that people feel good about.”

Supporters of Donovan included Robert ‘Bobby’ Sanchez, state representative from the 25th district. He talked about the most recent budget passed at the state level.

“The good thing about that budget was that it didn’t go into deep, deep cuts which could have affected a lot of other services and education as a whole,” Sanchez said. He then went on to talk about what he thought was possible for state education in Connecticut, a position he shares with Donovan.

“In regards to CCSU, I strongly believe that Connecticut residents here should be able to go to any [public] college in the state, free of charge,” Sanchez said. He believes this would take  a burden off of a number of students in the state.

“No one who is a Connecticut resident should have to pay for an education,” Sanchez continued. “That’s my belief and, I’ve talked to Chris [Donovan] about it, and he believes that is absolutely right.”

Donovan will continue to campaign for support throughout the state. His policies on education and more can be found on his campaign website.