It’s not every day that the governor interrupts your lunch, but that just what happened to medical professionals and students midday Thursday on the stretch of Cedar Street that bisects the Yale-New Haven Hospital campus.
With the election just days away, polls show Malloy neck-and-neck with Republican opponent Tom Foley. You wouldn’t know that by the lunch crowd at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the graduate dorm where he dropped in to shake hands and take pictures.
Malloy found himself in a sea of supporters Thursday getting a lot of, “Hey, aren’t you the governor?”, “I know who you are,” and “You’ve got my vote.”
Strolling the food-cart laden street prior to his rally with First Lady Michelle Obama, Malloy was looking for a good lunch recommendation and promises that people would remember to go vote on Election Day. He hadn’t found lunch, but he found people who said they liked the job he’s been doing for the state even if they can’t vote for him.
The challenge with getting out the vote on Cedar Street is that Yale-New Haven Hospital attracts people from everywhere. At one point Malloy found himself talking to three students: one from Nigeria, one from Senegal and one who claims Boston as her hometown but was raised in Scotland. No matter, Malloy sought to make a connection.
“I don’t hear a Boston accent,” he said. “My wife is from Boston.”
One supporter said, “If I could vote here, you’d have my vote, but I’m registered to vote in another state.” A golden opportunity to remind the supporter that Connecticut has same-day voter registration and voting on Election Day.
“This is the first year you can do that,” Malloy said.
Markeshia Ricks photo
While inquiring what was on people’s plates, he asked people to vote for him and bring a few friends to the polls to do the same
“It’s a tight race,” he said. “Very tight.”