U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a two-term incumbent Democrat, easily fended off three challengers Tuesday to reclaim his seat.
Murphy defeated Republican Matthew Corey, a Navy veteran who owns a restaurant in Manchester, Robert Hyde, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and small business owner who ran on the Cheaper Gas Groceries party line (a party he founded this year), and Justin Paglino, a scientist and political organizer who ran on the Green Party line.
The Associated Press called the race as polls closed.
Records show Murphy heavily outraised and outspent his opponents. He pulled in $12.3 million, spent $9.3 million, and had $6.9 million cash on hand as of Oct. 16. Corey raised $190,500, spent $99,300 and had $91,200 cash on hand. Hyde took in $743, spent $696 and had $589 cash on hand. And Paglino raised $10,400, spent $7,000 and had $3,300 cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission.
This is the second consecutive election that Corey unsuccessfully challenged Murphy. In 2018, Murphy received 825,579 votes, while Corey received 545,717.
Murphy’s last stop before the polls closed was the Emerson Williams Elementary School in Wethersfield, which he attended as a child. It is his parents’ polling place, though they voted early at town hall.
The senator was accompanied by his wife, Cathy, and their sons, Owen and Rider. He has a routine he’s followed through much of his career. On Monday night, he handed out flyers outside a Stop & Shop in Waterbury, always his last election-eve activity. Election day lunch was his usual: Burger King in Torrington.
The blue suit he used to wear every Election Day, starting when he ran for the state House of Representatives in 1988, has been retired.
Last weekend, Murphy led Democratic candidates in a coordinated campaign, exploiting his party’s advantages in money, voter registration and surrogates to give a boost to Kamala Harris, his own campaign and down-ballot candidates in competitive races for Congress and the General Assembly.
Similar to his efforts in 2018, Murphy led a campaign to help elect Democrats in Connecticut up and down the ballot. As of Sunday, the senator had transferred at least $200,000 to the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee to help with party infrastructure and voter mobilization for early voting and on Election Day. Candidates, however, run separate campaign advertising.
“I like to run a true coordinated campaign, meaning you know we’re standing up a campaign statewide where we have field organizers that are able to work for the federal candidates and the state candidates together,” Murphy said at a rally in Waterbury in October.
Those efforts culminated at multiple get-out-the-vote rallies last weekend.
Murphy, 51, and his challengers clashed on some key issues but found common ground in others.
When asked by The Connecticut Mirror whether they would support a federal ban or restrictions on abortion, three of the four candidates said no.
“I strongly believe a woman has the right to make decisions about her own reproductive health, and abortion is a core health service,” Murphy said.
“I believe the decision to regulate or restrict abortion should be left to individual states, as was intended by the reversal of Roe v. Wade,” said Hyde, 44. “The Supreme Court’s ruling returned this power to the states, reflecting the diverse opinions and values across the country.”
“Reproductive health care decisions, like all health care decisions, should be make in private by individuals after having the opportunity to discuss all the pros and cons, risks and benefits, with their doctor,” Paglino added. “I do not support government intrusion into private health care decisions.”
Corey, 60, declined to participate in the CT Mirror’s election questionnaire. But in a recent televised debate with Murphy, Corey said Democrats were fear-mongering with claims that abortion is on the ballot this year. The issue has been returned to the states, he said, and Connecticut has strong protections for a woman’s right to an abortion in state law.
Asked in the election questionnaire whether they supported expanded background checks for gun purchases and a ban on assault rifles, the candidates differed in their responses.
Murphy and Paglino said they would support those measures.
“Common sense gun laws save lives,” Murphy said. “We should build on the success of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and pass legislation to require universal background checks and ban assault weapons.”
“These limits maintain our rights but also protect the innocent from violence,” Paglino added.
Hyde said would not support those proposals.
“I believe any restrictions … should be carefully considered and not imposed by broad federal mandates,” he said. “Instead, I support focusing on enforcing existing laws and addressing the root causes of violence, such as mental health issues and criminal activity.”
During his campaign, Corey didn’t not shy from his enthusiastic embrace of Trump and his policies.
In a televised debate late last month, he was asked how he differed from the Republican candidate for president.
“There’s not many ways,” Corey said. He smiled, then added, “I mean, I have a better personality than he has.”
CT Mirror reporter Lisa Hagen contributed to this story.