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Sen. Mitch McConnells ill-advised silencing of Sen. Elizabeth Warrenduring the debate over confirming Jeff Sessions to be attorney general read as a blatant act of sexism from a man who cant handle back talk from a woman. While that was no doubt an important element of it, its also important to remember that Warren was trying to read a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King, where shedescribed Sessions lengthy history of undermining the civil rights movement in Alabama.

Thatletter angersRepublicans because in the years since Martin Luther King Jr.s 1968assassination, conservativeshave made an effort to remake King in their own image. Warrens attempt to read the letter by Kings widow into the record served as an embarrassing reminder that Kings politics had nothing in common with modern conservatism.

Call it the dead progressive problem. Conservatives love a dead progressive hero because they can claim that person as one of their own without having any bother that the person will fight back. In some cases, the right has tried to weaponize these dead progressives, claiming that they would simply be appalled at how far the still-breathing have supposedly gone off the rails and become too radical. Martin Luther Kingand his wife Coretta are just two prominent victims of this rhetorical gambit.

Despite decades of its appropriation by liberals, [Martin Luther] Kings message was fundamentally conservative, wroteCarolyn Garris of the Heritage Foundation a mere two weeks before Coretta Scott Kings death in 2006.

Had he lived, what would Martin Luther King would have thought of modern identity politics, of the world of microaggressions and Black Lives Matter?wrote David French last month in the National Review. He admitted that no one can say, but French strongly implied that King would have beenappalled by modern progressivism.

After Warren delivered an embarrassing reminder that, no, the Kings were not actually in agreement with modern-day conservatives, White House press secretary Sean Spicer tried to do some clean-up duty.

I can only hope if she was still with us today, that after getting to know [Sessions] and getting to see his commitment to voting and civil rights that she would come to admire the nations new attorney general,Spicer said on Wednesday, taking advantage of the fact that King cannot come back from the grave to dissuade him of that notion.

Historians I spoke with took a dim view of this conservative rewriting of Martin Luther Kings legacy.

One of the things King revealed that is unavoidable by looking at his work and his thoughts and his life is that the United States is, at its core, a racist country, said Robert Widell, an associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island, over the phone.

All that stuff has been stripped away from what people want to remember about King, he added. Its become part of this project of conservatives embracing and taking some of that rhetoric of the civil rights movement, twisting it around and making it seem that what theyre calling for in retrograde policies is actually consistent with what civil rights activists would have been calling for.

Stanford University historianClayborne Carsonexplained by telephone,King, when he was assassinated, was probably at the lowest point in his popularity.

The effort to reinterpret or appropriate Kings legacy began immediately, said Carson, who washandpicked by Coretta Scott King to handle her husbands papers. After his death, national leaders were trying to get into the funeral, pushing aside people who had worked beside King, to get into Ebenezer Church people a month earlier who would not have wanted to be on the stage with him.

This conservative habit of cherry-picking quotes from progressive heroes in an effort to claim them for the conservative cause isnt just aggravating for historians. In some cases, it can becomepersonal.

Ann Gordon of Rutgers University runs the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Papers Projectand for years she has seen anti-choice activists distort her research in order to argue falsely that 19th-century suffragists were ideologically opposed to legal abortion and to imply that modern feminism has therefore lost its way.Anthony, in particular, has been elevated by anti-choicers as some kind of foremother and is often portrayed as vocally anti-abortion. One major anti-choice group, the Susan B. Anthony Listeven takes its name from the famous suffragist.

In a phone call, Gordon emphasized to me thatthere is absolutely no evidence that Anthony was against abortion. Yet it wouldnt be fair to call her pro-choice either, Gordon explained. Instead, Anthony largely ignored the issue, as it wasnt really at the forefront of feminist discourse at the time.

Anti-choicers cobble together a fake history of Anthonys opposition to abortion with a few cherry-picked quotes,most of which come from an article that Anthony didnt even write but simply published in a newsletter that was focused on lively debate. But they have also fished into one of Gordons books, The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: National Protection for National Citizens, 1873 to 1880, for acouple of diary entries where Anthony mentions, in passing, that her sister-in-law has taken ill from an abortion.

Sister Annie is in bed been sick for a month tampering with herself, Anthony wrote on March 4, 1876. (Tampering with herself would have been understood as a euphemism for abortion in the 19th century.)

Sister Annie better but looks very slim she will rue the day she forces nature, Anthony wrote on March 7, 1876.

From those diary entries, anti-abortion activistshave built an entire fantasy that Anthony was some kind of rigid anti-choice ideologue who would shame contemporaryfeminists for their pro-choice politics.

Ive argued theres no way in the world to convert this into a call to have a movement against abortion or a call to criminalize abortion or anything of the above, Gordon said. You could read it as evidence of how common abortion was, if Susan B. Anthonys own sister-in-law aborted at least once.

Its true that one can detect a note of judgment in Anthonys tone in the diary, but that is likely due more to her squeamishness about sex than an ideological statement about abortion. After all, Anthony chastised Stantonfor having children, writing afterhearing of her friends seventhpregnancy, I only scold now that for a moments pleasure to herself or her husband, she should thus increasethe load of cares under which she already groans.

Gordon added, Its pretty bizarre to take a 19th-century virgin as your model on sexual questions.

Stanton, who, if we take Anthonys word for it, was a big fan of sex, had sharper words on the matter. Gordon referred me to an 1855 speech in whichStanton said,Did it ever enter into the mind of man that woman, too, had an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Did he ever take in the idea that to the mother of the race, and to her alone, belongs the right to say when a new being should be brought into the world?

In the 2006 Dixie Chicks song Lubbock or Leave It Natalie Maines sings about the statue of Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas: I hear they hate me now/ Just like they hated you/ Maybe when Im dead and gone/ Im gonna get a statue too.

For historians who study progressive figures, the sentiment is a familiar one.

Its always better to have prophets in retrospect, in the rearview mirror, Carson said. While theyre around, theyre bothersome people. He added, Theres always that thing where when theyre no longer around, theyre no longer a threat.

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Conservatives sure love progressives and radicals at least after they're dead - Salon

Concerned students voiced their worries Sunday at the Maintenance Shop, hoping to find some serious answers.

Ames4Change, a newly-formed progressive student group, invited local political figures and activists to share with students ideas about the relationship between citizens and government in modern democracy.

Guests included Matthew Goodman from the Ames Progressive Alliance, state Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, Sen. Herman Quirmbach and Erin Davison-Rippey, a public affairs director for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.

Mental health, worker rights and reproduction politics also were discussed at the forum, and the panelists were eager to answer questions in a radically-changing political landscape.

Theres a lot of confusion about politics, said Sarah Ashby, political science student and founder of Ames4Change. A lot of us feel politically motivated but clueless.

She hopes her group will get young people active in government affairs.

New policies pushed for by the Trump administration were cause for worry at the forum, particularly the executive order to halt federal funding to Planned Parenthood, which consistently sees women from all 99 Iowa counties each year.

We have a health care crisis in our state unlike anything we have ever seen, Davison-Rippey said.

She said the United States will see a rise in unintended pregnancies and abortions without programs like Planned Parenthood. Much of the audience voiced concern about the weight an individual carries in the political sphere. Many citizens may not know how to make their voices heard.

Goodman said voting is a great way to do just that, and informed voting, especially at the local level, can help change peoples immediate community.

The difference in an Ames City Council election can be 120 votes, Goodman said. Your vote carries more weight when you vote locally.

Wessel-Kroeschell encouraged audience members to share their stories and concerns with state representatives.

Those stories are really important to me, she said.

She also said that statements from citizens can provoke change on the Senate floor.

The panelists called for students to bring their concerns to legislators and to make their opinions heard.

Make them feel the heat if you cant make them see the light, Quirmbach said.

Lending support to representatives and legislators who already align with someones principles also is important.

They need to know we have their back, Ashby said. We need to work together, and the biggest thing is to be kind.

This was the second event hosted by Ames4Change, which plans to offer a variety of political-themed community events in the future.

More information about Ames4Change can be found on its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/groups/ames4change/.

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New progressives start conversation on relationship between citizens, government - Iowa State Daily

Lets be honest: Candy hearts aside, Valentines Day is to lovers what Mothers Day is to fathers: One big giant shit-test. Also, if you think about it, between the roses and chocolate, its kind of presumptuous of all us cisgenders, to promote our gender-conforming gifts, and ignore the rest of the romantic needs of progressive America. Between exorbitant funds on behalf of a Hallmark holiday and acquiescing to, even celebrating, that one day of traditional gender norms, Im surprised Americans still fall, hook, line, and sinker for this commercial love-day.

On Valentines Day alone, lovers send 150 million cards the majority of senders are women. Folks, mostly men, spend $2 billion on flowers and a little less than that on sweets. Over half of Americans celebrate the holiday, spending $13 billion total. Thats a lot of money to ask someone to Be mine.

There are dozens of gift guides online to help the romantic lover figure out what to give that special someone. Take this Valentines Day gift guide for men, since they always get overlooked: It includes activewear for the gym-goer, designer shoes and socks, and a book of cocktail recipes. Because nothing says I love you like new gym shorts! What about for her? No longer is it enough to buy her roses or send her chocolate thats so 2014. Now, try specialized truffles, a candle with a slogan or a designer purse. Thats a lot of pressure for men and women to live up to. Its no wonder men are frantically googling gift ideas and ordering chocolate on Amazon Prime.

Valentines Day might be the only (commercial) holiday that suggests deep down the human psyche craves a few rather traditional things: Unconditional love and traditional gender roles, among other things. That sounds rather old-fashioned and yet healthy. Men and women are different and should celebrate those differences, not squash them. They should embrace their unique desires; not attempt to conform to a different gender, because its so en vogue.

Its almost like humans were designed with innate needs to be loved unconstitutionally and valued for who they are, which is something no progressive, political culture can squelch and no Hallmark holiday can drown out with calls of commercialism.

Still, the origin of this holiday had little to do with candy hearts, truffles, or roses. While nobody knows exactly how this traditional holiday began, some suggest its rooted in the story of one of three (or a blend of all three) Catholic saints who were martyred.

Stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first valentine greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girlpossibly his jailors daughter who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed From your Valentine, an expression that is still in use today.

As morbid as that might sound, and of course, who know if its true, theres actually a lot more gravitas about the real meaning of love in that anecdote than sending your lover a dozen red roses that cost as much as dinner out. Like St. Patricks Day, which began as a celebration of a man who tried to tell others about the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, (and is now celebrated with green beer) the story of a Christian being martyred for his faith and sending his last thoughts to his love seems more authentic than any Hallmark card.

I probably sound like an old maid who is down on love and so scoffs at other lovers sharing their vivid romance. Not so! I studied British literature in college and my favorite novels are ones penned by romantic, strong women like Austen and Bronte (prosaic but true). Im a true romantic, through and through. (Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.) Lovers should express themselves however they deem best, but roses on Valentines Day wont save a romance, rekindle a friendship, or rescue a bitter relationship.

The story of the young Catholic saint reminds all of us that true love is sacrificial always patient, always kind and every day acts of kindness and selflessness do more than spending $200 one day a year. Thats something both genders crave and is as progressive as any other romantic notion on Valentines Day.

Nicole Russell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Federalist, The American Spectator, Reason, National Review Online, and Parents magazine. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectators Young Journalist award. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and four children.

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Why aren't progressives offended by Valentine's Day's gender stereotypes? - Conservative Review

Mark Twain is quoted as saying "there are lies, damned lies and statistics," although these days we could say there are facts and alternative facts.

As a retired emergency physician who worked in underserved city hospitals, I can say one of the points Mr. Beveridge makes is correct. When patients come to the ER we must by law see them without asking how they will pay. We do bill them later and, as he stated, we frequently do not get paid; how can someone pay a huge bill when they couldn't afford health insurance to begin with? Having spent the last 20 years of my career in Maryland, I was sad that their all-payer system was not talked about more during the primaries (go to https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Maryland-All-Payer-Model/ for more information).

He speaks of Sen. Sanders, and others' idea of expanding to a Medicare for all system, slaps the dreaded socialized medicine label on it, and warns of the cost. Currently FICA withholding is 12.4 percent total split between employer/employee for Social Security and 2.9 percent total for Medicare. He then calculates that expanding Medicare would increase that deduction to 30 percent. I don't know how he came up with that figure, or if it is correct, but let's look at some of the factors he has not addressed.

The United States spends $9,403 per capita for healthcare compared to $5,292 for Canada and $817 for Cuba (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator). Are we getting our money's worth? While we're at it, can anyone explain how you take seniors, who we all agree are high resource consumers, from the Medicare system with a 4 percent overhead and put them into for-profit private insurance with a 12 percent overhead and save money? (Check out https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/hcfac/index.asp for information about Medicare fraud.)

But I digress.

He suggests that while healthcare services would be available to all, you might have to wait a little longer for certain kinds of specialists. Where is his evidence that this leads to poorer outcomes? Comparing infant and child mortality rates and life expectancy statistics (2014 data from WHO) you find that the first two measures are actually lower in both Cuba and Canada than the United States, and that longevity is very similar, with them living just a bit longer than us.

His next point is that doctors will be employees of the government. That may be true in Cuba, but not Canada. Go to the Library of Congress website (if it hasn't been taken down this week) (http://www.loc.gov/law/help/medical-malpractice-liability/canada.php) for an overview of the Canadian system.

He also suggests that doctors will not go to medical school if they will only earn as much as a mechanic. I don't know about him, but I value my mechanics very much and hope they are well paid, however, most of us don't go to medical school to become wealthy. If, as in Canada and Cuba, the cost of schooling combined with a less litigious society were in place here, it wouldn't cost as much for us to train or pay malpractice insurance (a whole separate article can be written about defensive medicine) so we wouldn't need to make as much money.

His last comments seem to suggest that if we get rid of Obamacare we will somehow fix long ER waits. I have no idea how he thinks that will happen. Repealing the ACA will increase the number of uninsured patients who then have no option except the emergency room. Every time I hear someone say "the American people know how to spend their healthcare dollars" I cringe. How can they possibly know how to navigate a system so complex? When your child or loved one is ill, do you ask who can help me for the lowest cost, or who is the best choice to help me, damn the cost?

Mr. Beveridge, you are correct. We progressives will never give up our dream of a healthcare system that is fair, efficient and available to all Americans.

Linda DeFeo Lewes

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Progressives will never give up dream of a healthcare system that is fair, - CapeGazette.com

NEW HAVEN >> Connecticut progressive organizers say theyre done licking their wounds after the electoral college victory of President Donald Trump, and theyre being joined in the streets in record numbers.

New Haven-based organizer Kica Matos said she believes that on Nov. 8 people around the country awoke from their democratic slumber.

Worries about the Trump administrations policies have created this growing momentum around people feeling this urgency (about) protecting our democracy. A lot of people feel our democracy is under threat, said Matos, director of immigrant rights and racial justice for the Center for Community Change.

People (at rallies) have said to me, Ive never done this before. There is a growing urgency from many people from many walks of life who are speaking out from fear they will lose fundamental freedoms under this administration, said Matos, a longtime activist who has recently rallied in New Haven over Trumps immigration orders as well as the Yale issue over the name of Calhoun College.

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Dhrupad Nag, political director for the Connecticut Working Families Party, said he similarly believes people are jarred out of complacency.

Although every progressive activist interviewed for this story agreed that progressive and leftist causes are seeing a burst of interest and energy from middle-class voters who may have previously seen themselves as uninterested in politics, Nag said he believes parallels to the Tea Party Movement, which formed in 2009 as a response to the election of Barack Obama as president, are somewhat superficial.

Im not sure if its exactly the same, Nag said. Were not trying to trade on fear. Were getting people together who are frustrated with the current situation to show them the power is with you.

The Tea Party-driven Taxpayer March on Washington in September 2009 drew approximately 75,000 protesters according to estimates from the Washington, D.C., Fire and Emergency Medical Services, although no official count existed because of a lack of aerial photos. Tea Party activists organized at a local, grassroots level during the eight years of Obamas presidency and are largely credited with defeating then-Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary election in 2014.

In 2017, Republicans hold control of the executive branch and both houses of the legislative branch. If Trumps nominee of Neil Gorsuch, 49, to the Supreme Court of the United States is approved to serve, the judicial branch could be under Republican control for at least a generation as well.

Further, the Associated Press reports that while protests against Trumps presidency have swelled the ranks of Democratic activists, their new enthusiasm faces a hard reality: Republicans remain well-positioned to retain their grip on power in the 2018 elections.

In Connecticut, the GOP has achieved an 18-18 tie for seats in the state Senate after the 2016 election and gained seats to narrow the gap in the state House. The GOP is not letting up on its agenda, including on state spending.

For instance, following Gov. Dannel P. Malloys recent release of his biennial budget package, Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said in a release: Governor Malloys budget lacks a clear sense of direction or vision for the state of Connecticut. Once again we see a plan that will balance the budget on the backs of working and middle-class families while shifting problems onto others.

Lets be clear about what this budget includes each year: over $200 million in annual tax increases on low and middle-income families, over $400 million in new property tax burdens, potentially 4,200 state employee layoffs and $570 million in expenses pushed onto our childrens credit card thanks to the governors pension deal. I dont see this budget creating stability. I see it creating chaos.

Yet, the Womens March in Washington, an anti-Trump feminist demonstration, reportedly had an estimated 470,000 people demonstrating on the National Mall, according to the New York Times. Globally, the march is believed to have attracted somewhere between 4 and 5 million marchers.

What were seeing right now is young people are getting involved, and five to 10 years down the line, well have a whole generation of folks running for office who are very progressive and very principled, and I think its a little different than the Tea Party because the xenophobia and racism they traded on is not something we have an interest in, Nag said. Were trying to build a broad, diverse coalition across race, gender, sexuality and gender identity.

Puya Gerami, a graduate student at Yale and a labor organizer in New Haven and one of several activists on an organizing committee in Connecticut for the Democratic Socialists of America, said the Connecticut DSA organizing committee held its first meeting in February and is in the process of forming a local chapter.

Gerami said in an email. A number of vital grassroots campaigns are currently ongoing here in Connecticut from union struggles to LGBTQ advocacy, the defense of immigrant rights to the movement against mass incarceration. All these fights are urgently necessary. Although Connecticut ranks among the wealthiest states in the country, it remains one of the most unequal.

Gerami said, At bottom, we at the DSA are interested in any candidates who are brave enough to promote an end to austerity, not its continuation; to defend marginalized communities, not demonize them; and advance democratic values in all spheres of life, at a time when our country faces such an uncertain future.

Movements and organizations such as the DSA and the Working Families Party, Gerami said, must work from the bottom up.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who self-identifies as a democratic socialist, won 43.1 percent of the vote in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who later lost the White House to Trump. Thousands turned out when Sanders held a rally on the New Haven Green. The New Haven Independent reported the crowd estimate ran as high as 14,000.

Nag said the Connecticut WFP was among the first major organizations to endorse Sanders in his primary efforts.

Carlos Moreno, director of communications for the Connecticut WFP, said the party is boosting an initiative to recruit political candidates to run and support a progressive agenda. He said WFP hosts training sessions for people who would like to run for public office but are unsure how to do so.

One of their success stories is Joshua Elliott, who won the 88th District House seat, replacing former House Speaker Brendan Sharkey following his retirement from that office. Elliott, Moreno said, is a businessman who already understood the ramifications of trickle-down policies on small businesses and supports the WFPs belief that the most beneficial thing for an economy is supporting the pocketbooks of the middle class and giving them money to spend and support locally.

We de-jargonize the process for folks, Moreno said. As part of our training process, we do mock debates; we put folks through a really tough process, a Q&A, getting them answering tough questions and getting them to think about these tough issues in ways that will translate to voters.

Moreno said as long as candidates support policy positions congruous with the WFP, theyll do the training. The amount of time they take is conditional upon the candidate, he said.

Many have been activists for so long that they can jump right in; others might not be as familiar with the inner workings and inner machinery of the political system, he said.

Nag said the WFP is unique because it serves as a political party it will cross-endorse candidates, provided theyve committed to a questionnaire promising to uphold certain progressive values and an advocacy group.

The issues WFP does support, Nag said, are those such as raising the minimum wage, helping undocumented students and procuring fair housing for families.

A lot of these things, whats really nice is they cut across a lot of different groups. It goes back to building a broad coalition of people, Nag said. We dont just want people showing up to minimum wage hearings; we want them showing up to support institutional aid. Were connecting these struggles together, because even if it doesnt directly affect you right now, these are your brothers and sisters, and if youre in trouble theyll be behind you.

Matos said intersectionality in organizing is especially important in this time.

Groups are coalescing, because they understand were all under attack, she said. We are seeing this growing umbrella of a progressive movement that understands our issues are all interconnected.

Although many local activists recognize the need for elected representatives who reflect the needs of the middle class and the most vulnerable populations, some are focused predominantly on combatting community problems.

John Humphries, an organizer for the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, said the roundtable does not focus much on achieving electoral victories, but finding an intersection between labor rights and environmental advocacy is at the core of his work.

The thing I would say is more noticeable and has a greater impact on our work is a greater awareness of the need for solidarity across issues, Humphries said. The Trump administration, in their wide-ranging attacks on lots of progressive issues all at once, has really driven this sense of were in this together, which has always been there, but in some ways its more visible and more urgent.

By uniting labor unions and environmentalists, Humphries said, a proposed Bloomfield water bottling construction project has been kept at bay for claims of being ruinous to the environment and for exploiting labor by potentially outsourcing jobs.

It still remains to be seen how well we can harness the energy that was produced by the Womens March, Humphries said, although he would like to apply it to procuring upgrades to state buildings to make them more energy efficient, saving on energy bills, minimizing harm to the environment and creating jobs.

John Lugo, an immigration and labor rights organizer with Unidad Latina en Accin, said his advocacy does not ordinarily focus around supporting individual electoral victories, but Connecticuts population of undocumented immigrants can use their voices to lean on politicians.

We saw under the Obama administration (that) he deported more than 2 million people, and what Trump is doing right now, hes inheriting this deportation machine. Trump is just taking over the machine and making it more sophisticated, Lugo said.

Where the citys undocumented population does have a bargaining chip, Lugo believes, is those who have grown up in the country and reached adulthood.

We can use that as a narrative to negotiate with the political machine, Lugo said. Well see in elections in the future that well need to be really critical to see who is really on the side of the people, and not on the side of corporations.

Michael Mandell, executive director of the Connecticut Democratic Party, said the top priority for the party is making sure Republicans are held accountable.

For a long time, Connecticut was a haven for moderate politics, and were seeing here in Hartford that the Connecticut Republican Party leadership are bringing the Trump agenda from D.C. to Connecticut, he said. How many comments have we seen from the leaders in the legislature on the Muslim ban? We are not hearing them offer any resistance.

He said the amount of engagement from Connecticut residents at airports in the wake of Trumps executive order on immigration and the number of calls being registered at elected officials offices should reflect that residents are holding their representatives accountable.

Presidential elections have to do with turnout. Thats what people come out for, so well make sure were working hard in 2018 and 2020 to bring people out, Mandell said.

As to whether there are any flaws in the Democratic agenda, Mandell said the party has been on the right side of the issues, from gun control, paid sick days, affordable health care and the environment.

We always have to do a better job of communicating. Each election, you learn something new about how you communicate, and you learn new ways of communicating and new ways of getting the message out, he said. We need to make sure we show how it impacts peoples lives, and show what Democrats are working for and how it impacts peoples lives. Were not skipping a beat and were not going to wallow or wait for the next election.

Whether progressive and leftist organizers move forward with the Democratic institution, however, remains to be seen.

The Democratic Party is not a monolithic or unchanging institution; currently, its caught in a moment of internal flux, and that process is evident in Connecticut, too, Gerami said.

Although Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, a protege of Malloy, has announced he is exploring a run for governor in 2018 and would like to see us being more economically progressive than the state is under Malloy, no gubernatorial candidates are on the nascent Connecticut DSA Organizing Committees radar.

We are not aware of any gubernatorial candidates who plan to run on a left agenda in next years Democratic primary, Gerami said.

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Connecticut progressives using post-election energy to mobilize - New Haven Register