Regardless of the results on Tuesday, everyone should be proud that because of our energy and our passion, and Ned Lamont's strong campaign style, the state of Connecticut has registered 21,840 new Democrats since May.
Out of that 21,840, a whopping 10,344 are NEW voters, while 11,496 were unaffiliated voters.
Courant
From May through Friday, 11,496 unaffiliated voters became registered Democrats. From May through the end of July, 10,344 new voters became registered Democrats, said Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz. "If you think about those Democrats, those are people who are obviously motivated to participate. That could have an impact on not only turnout, but election results," Bysiewicz said.
Now, remember Republicans and Independents had to switch by May 8th. Who do you think these people are so excited to vote for? A man who has been their Senator for 18 years, who holds stances, that are the antithesis of most of his state's residents? Or a newcomer, a breath of fresh air, with good media people and a bunch of sable rattling bloggers? You know where my money is.
Lieberman Campaigns comment:
"We expect that there's going to be a record turnout on primary day," said Marion Steinfels, a Lieberman spokeswoman. "And that's going to help Joe Lieberman. The more who come out to vote, the better he will do."
Lamont Campaign's comment:
"We see a lot of people who want change in Washington, who are willing to step up to the plate and be involved even though they might not have been involved before in the political process," said Liz Dupont-Diehl, a Lamont campaign spokeswoman. "We've always said that this would invigorate the party."
And that is exactly what this race is doing, nationwide, but especially in Connecticut, invigorating the party. Because of this race, the new progressive movement is proving to all the naysayers, we won't go down without a fight. That attribute has been sorely lacking in the Democratic Party, as wel all know. It's races like these that can show America, this isn't the Democratic Party you've seen the last few elections.
Obviously, some of these new Democrats will go back to unaffiliated status, but one cannot deny that Ned Lamont has swelled the ranks of the Democratic Party in Connecticut.