Gov. Ned Lamont spent the last Sunday before the Democratic primary making appeals to Black and urban voters from two church pulpits and get-out-the-vote rallies in Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, and New Haven.

Lamont began the day at First Cathedral, a Black megachurch in the Hartford suburb of Bloomfield, where he was welcomed by Archbishop Leroy Bailey Jr. He then spoke at the nearby Rehobeth Church of God, where the congregation is dominated by immigrants and descendants of immigrants from the West Indies.

Lamont’s Message

Lamont’s message at both churches focused less on the primary than on what he called the unsettled state politics created by the Trump administration. He emphasized the importance of God and family, saying, “Two things in life that get you through: God and family.” He also expressed his commitment to inclusivity, saying, “There’s one thing that really particularly hurts me coming out of the White House. There’s a certain sense that we’re not all God’s children. We seem to be saying we don’t all belong. I want you to know here in Connecticut, in my heart, we all belong.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam delivered testimonials on behalf of Lamont at the rally in Hartford’s North End. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes of the 5th District did the same in New Britain.

Elliott’s Campaign

Meanwhile, challenger Josh Elliott campaigned in Bridgeport and attended Ecuadorian flag-raising events in Stamford and Danbury. He also attended a comedy show in Hartford, where he met with a reporter to discuss his campaign.

Elliott said there was no special strategy in attending the Ecuadorian events, saying, “That’s what was happening today.” He added that he had campaigned at a Puerto Rican festival in New Haven earlier in the weekend and had planned to work the crowd at a street festival, but was running late and had tickets for the comedy show.

Elliott’s campaign has been gaining momentum, with over 50,000 Democrats already casting their votes through absentee ballots and early voting. Lamont, however, remains the beneficiary of the contacts amassed over nearly eight years as governor, as well as the political infrastructure that comes with being endorsed at the state party convention.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.