Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

This week, we’re taking a look at the long list of endorsements rolled out by Connecticut’s AFL-CIO.

Plus, are Connecticut’s conservative talk radio hosts having a moment? We’ll discuss.

Let’s dive in…

CT AFL-CIO picks sides – for the most part

The state’s largest labor federation released its list of endorsed candidates last week. The topline takeaways? Gov. Ned Lamont has the Connecticut AFL-CIO’s nod for a third term, despite some high-profile dust ups. In the four-way battle for the 1st Congressional District, no candidate got the necessary two thirds of votes, though Rep. John Larson’s campaign was quick to point out that he still won a commanding majority of the vote and has a lengthy roster of individual union endorsements.

In the closest-watched contested primaries further down the ballot, the Connecticut AFL-CIO sided with the endorsed Democratic candidates. State Rep. Maryam Khan got the group’s backing in her effort to oust State Sen. Doug McCrory. In a pair of contested House primaries in New Haven, the AFL-CIO chose the two endorsed Democrats: State Rep. Pat Dillon in the 92nd District and Leland Moore in the 97th District.

Trump’s “Great American State Fair” offers a unique spotlight for Connecticut’s conservative talk radio scene

As America approaches its 250th birthday, the National Mall in Washington has been transformed into a “Great American State Fair.”

The fair is a production of the Trump-backed Freedom 250 organization. For those who haven’t been keeping track of these things, Freedom 250 is a separate entity from the congressionally-sanctioned America250.

The concept of the “Great American State Fair” seems simple enough. Long rows of exhibits have been erected, each highlighting a different state in a manner reminiscent of the world’s fairs of yesteryear. New Jersey’s booth, for example, features a massive sand castle constructed with 7,000 pounds of sand trucked in from the Jersey shore.

But not every state is participating.

Connecticut is among several states that have declined to send official delegations or staff the booths provided by the fair organizers.

When asked about his administration’s decision not to participate, Gov. Ned Lamont spoke of “political overtones” and a desire to keep Connecticut’s festivities focused on Connecticut. Lamont made those comments a day after Trump opened the fair with a speech infused with his signature campaign-style riffs. Cost was apparently a factor, too, according to Lamont, despite a recent offer from a local businessman to bundle $100,000 in donations to stage a last-minute exhibition. 

Mark Pazniokas reported the details of that charitable offer.

Enter Reese Hopkins.

Hopkins is a conservative talk radio personality who hosts “Reese on the Radio” every afternoon on WTIC. Hopkins has become something of a breakout star in Connecticut’s conservative media scene, rising to join the ranks of hosts like Lee Elci, Paul Pacelli, and Gary Byron. “Reese on the Radio” has been the venue for some of the most lively conversations playing out among the ranks of the state’s Republican faithful, and Hopkins himself has occasionally shown up at Lamont’s press conferences to challenge the governor.

Despite the historic contraction of the talk radio market, the medium is still important for local politicians seeking to reach disparate pockets of a fractured audience. For Connecticut’s prominent Republicans, regular rounds on the conservative radio circuit are a must, as is listening to particularly newsy segments – available for consumption at any time thanks to podcasting platforms. House Minority Vincent Candelora is known to occasionally offer real-time reactions as he listens to “Reese on the Radio.” 

Even some Democrats and mainstream local media figures seem to recognize an advantage in venturing onto potentially hostile airwaves. Dan Haar, the punchy Hearst columnist, recently jousted with Hopkins in a lively exchange. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, too, went to Hopkins’ WTIC studios for an interview so friendly that Hopkins seemed surprised by the rapport the two men shared. What could have been a pugilistic bout (like the one Hopkins had with Haar) turned out to be a deeply personal conversation.

In the absence of an official Connecticut presence at Trump’s fair, Hopkins has taken it upon himself to trek down to Washington. According to a social media post, he’ll be broadcasting live from the nation’s capital on Friday and Saturday afternoon. He had previously discussed the idea with state GOP chairman Ben Proto. Proto told Hopkins that others, including members of Connecticut’s talk radio set, had expressed an interest in having a presence at the state’s apparently vacant booth. 

That’s all for this week. We’ll be back next week with another edition of the Tip Sheet!