To The Editor:

I’m a senior living on a fixed income. That income used to cover my expenses. But with the price of gas, groceries and energy sky high, my income isn’t enough.

Some would have you believe Hartford is the problem. There are some ways Hartford can help. But it’s the federal administration’s policies that are the problem.

In most state election years we talk only about state issues & state candidates. This year, we can’t talk about affordability and relief for taxpayers without talking about Washington.

That’s why I want to hear directly from Republican candidates:

Do you support Donald Trump, who has enriched himself & other wealthy megadonors at our expense?

Do you support the unnecessary war that directly sent gas & energy prices through the roof?

Do you support extreme tariffs on our trading partners that have sent prices sky high?

How can you pretend to care about affordability when your silence supports the administration that’s destroying our budgets?

It’s not the state government in Hartford that has done all this. The state government can’t declare war or raise tariffs. We have to change Trump’s financially disastrous policies to get real financial relief!

I know this puts Republicans in a tough position. The president and his wasteful policies are extremely unpopular. If Republican candidates say they’re opposed to Trump, they risk alienating their own party, and if they say they support Trump and his damaging policies, they risk alienating all the rest of us.

We, the voters, need to know from each of the Republican candidates: do you stand for MAGA, or do you stand for us?

We need Rob Blanchard and Michelle Ku in Hartford to combat this national economic crisis. They have concrete ideas that will help. They stand with us, and will speak up for us.

Ed Randall

Newtown