Himes Gets Party Nomination for Second Term

Darien Times, Wednesday, May 12, 2010

No challengers from within the party came forward at the Fourth District Democratic convention held at Central High School in Bridgeport. In his acceptance speech, Himes talked about the work he’s accomplished in his first term, highlighting his efforts to save existing jobs and create new ones. On Tuesday he spoke to Hersam Acorn Newspapers about the election ahead and what his plans are if re-elected.

While noting that the expansion of trade and America’s export capabilities are important for providing new jobs and strong industry,  said that education would be a major priority of his for a second term.

“This is something I will prioritize personally regardless of whether the Congress does,” Himes said. “We need to continue educational reform and fix our schools. This is essential for the United States. Our economic and political power in the long run depends on us having good schools.”

As it was in his campaign two years ago, energy policy will also be a major theme, especially in light of the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The House of Representatives has voted to bring about energy reform and take serious steps toward combating climate change, but the bill is stalled in the Senate.

“We’ve all been reminded by the disaster in the gulf how important it is that we transition to clean and sustainable energy sources, and we lead the way with our private sector,” Himes said.

Himes, a Cos Cob resident, was elected to his first term in 2008, defeating long-time incumbent Christopher Shays. Despite Himes’ victory for a seat Democrats had craved for years, the fourth district has traditionally been a Republican one. Himes successfully ran a campaign appealing to change. With President Barack Obama leading the Democratic ticket, the president’s historic victory lifted many Democrats to office, including Himes.

Now, as the incumbent, it’s Himes who has the target on his back. Initially a dozen Republican challengers were chomping at the bit to take on Himes, a group which has recently been trimmed to four. Himes, however, is confident in his record, even as he points out that its been less than a year and a half since he was first sworn into office.

“I’ve been in Washington for all of 16 months so I can hardly be painted as a long-term Washington insider,” Himes said. “I do think that we’ve begun to deliver on the change that people want. Health care reform, while controversial, was necessary and the efforts we took to revive the economy are showing results. Look at last month, almost 300,000 jobs created. We will get a financial regulatory reform bill done and people are going to look at that and see that maybe we didn’t get everything that we wanted but we took some very big steps away from some very dangerous policies and that we’re on the right track.”

Obama provided an unquestioned boost to Himes candidacy two years ago, but being a midterm election, Himes said his campaign is not expecting the same level of voter turnout. He expects to do well with voters in both parties and with those who are unaffiliated because of his independent voting record, he said.

According to The Washington Post’s Congressional votes database, Himes has voted with his party 94 percent of the time.

Himes’ Republican challenger is still unclear. State Sen. Dan Debicella (R-21) who serves as the deputy minority leader in Hartford is considered the favorite to capture the Republican nomination at the party’s convention, which begins May 21. However, with several other candidates in the race, a primary is considered a possibility.

Whoever the Republican nominee is, Himes said he is ready and will be able to continue his work in the congress while also shifting into a campaign mode.

“It’s going to be a fight, but there’s a lot more overlap than you might think between doing the right thing as a congressman and campaigning,” said Himes, a former Goldman Sachs employee. “I’m very focused right now on finishing the Wall Street reform bill. I’ve been working on this for a year and if we get this right it will be something good to campaign on. The economy is turning around partly due to efforts we took and that’s good to campaign on too.”

With the new controversial immigration law in Arizona, Himes thinks immigration nationwide will again be a hot button issue in Congress, though it is unlikely that policy will be taken up before November’s election.

“It’s terribly important that we do act on immigration reform,” Himes said. “I happen to think it’s unlikely we are going to get reform done before the election because it’s an immensely emotional topic. I fear we won’t take it up until after the election.”

Unlike some of his congressional colleagues. Himes has not come under the heavy fire yet of the Tea Party movement, which has directed a lot of anger at incumbent members of congress running for re-election. But with the group’s organized presence in the district, it has voiced its displeasure with Himes and will likely do so loudly again before Election Day. However, Himes is not worried about them, saying his record shows he is representing his constituents and not just the Democratic party.

“I’ve been an independent congressman,” Himes said. “I’ve got the most independent voting record of any congressman in New England... The Tea Party is right to focus on our fiscal health and I applaud people when they get involved in politics. I’ve always tried to deal with them respectfully at our Town Hall meetings and everywhere else. I disagree with them on whether the stimulus was necessary. Just about any economist will tell you it was critical to reversing our economy. It didn’t feel good to have to do it but we had to do it and the economic numbers we’re seeing now are justifying the tough decisions we made.”