On tired legs, Sen. Chris Murphy walked up Memorial Drive in Danbury Thursday afternoon to a crowd of about 100 supporters who showed up to see him complete his walk across Connecticut.
Beginning Sunday morning in Killingly, Murphy traveled on foot 108 miles through 22 towns, holding four town halls and chatting with anyone he came upon, from those who waited hours to meet the senator to a pair of men listening to Rush Limbaugh who he was fairly certain hadn't voted for him.
It's the second year in a row that Murphy has traversed the state during Congress' August recess.
"I set out to do this last year because I figured that there was no better way to be able to accurately represent what Connecticut wants in Congress than walking across the state and talking to anyone that would be willing," Murphy told a ring of supporters in Rogers Park.
Congress has an approval rating of about 7 percent, Murphy said. "People don't think we listen," he said.
In an interview Murphy said health care and the recent clash in Charlottesville, Va. between white nationalists and counter-protesters were among the national topics that came up in his conversations, though "bread and butter" issues like schools and public safety were just as common.
"I've never seen the level of interest in politics and government that there is today," he said. "The issues that we're talking about in Washington are deeply personal, whether it be immigration or health care, the things Donald Trump is talking about doing would hurt thousands and thousands of people in this state. And that's why they're turning out."
State Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, likened Murphy's walk to the knocking on doors that legislative candidates undertake every election year.
"You can't doorknock the entire state of Connecticut but you can stay in touch just by talking to people," he said.
