Publisher’s note: This statement was released by John Blankley on Tuesday, August 17, following the election for state Senate. He ran a positive, issues oriented campaign and is to be commended both for that and this thoughtful statement.
While the outcome of the election for state senate was not the one I would have wished I want to congratulate Ryan Fazio on his win and send him the message that he should concentrate on representing all the voters of the 36th district.
I want to thank all my supporters, friends and team members who helped me in this campaign. Long term friends came to my assistance yet again and I will always be grateful for their sterling support which made this a very fulfilling experience.
My objective was to offer the voters of the 36th district a choice in who should represent them in Hartford. I have the skills and experience to do the job but above all I believe that it is the right of the people to decide who should be their senator. I felt strongly that partisan politics were obscuring the people’s purpose. And as I campaigned, I heard more and more that voters were looking for solutions and were tired of pointless political bickering.
It is instructive that the largest voting block is now the unaffiliated voters. I am proud of a campaign that gave these voters a voice and especially proud that I achieved 8% of the total votes cast, the highest recorded for an unaffiliated candidate in the history of Greenwich. In the face of the most intense support from the highest levels for my opponents, we still achieved an historic vote total.
This campaign should now be seen as an indication that there are voices that want to be heard and who are not properly represented by either of the major parties. I hope that my actions will inspire good people to step forward in the political process – a right afforded to all the people.
I will conclude by saying that I thank all those voters who expressed their confidence in me. There is room for a third force in our politics and I hope I have shown the way.
John Blankley
