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

In this week’s Tip Sheet:

• Pro-Palestinian protests encamped at three Connecticut universities.

• Canino and Cook ready for a showdown in Torrington.

• A Connecticut power couple gets engaged!

Pro-Palestine Encampments Established at UConn and Weselyan

In the past week, students at UConn and Wesleyan joined the nationwide campus movement establishing tent encampments to protest ties between American universities and Israel. 

Pro-Palestine protests have intensified on campuses since the arrest of more than 100 demonstrators on the campus of Columbia University on April 18th. The Associated Press reports that, as of Sunday evening, more than 900 individuals had been arrested and dozens of tent encampments have been erected on campuses around the country.

Connecticut has been at the center of the pro-Palestine campus protests.

On the weekend following the mass arrests at Columbia, activists at Yale University established a tent encampment in Beinecke Plaza. By Monday morning, the University had called in law enforcement to clear the encampment. 48 arrests were made.

On other campuses where administrators have chosen to commence law enforcement action against demonstrators, similar scenes have played out. In some cases, violent clashes have ensued between campus demonstrators and law enforcement. At the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Department of Public Safety officers in riot gear arrested at least 57 people-including a photojournalist-during an operation to disperse a crowd of demonstrators.

The University of Connecticut was among the schools that chose to take police action against demonstrators.

On Thursday evening, one arrest was made as students at UConn’s Storrs campus attempted to set up tents in an open space near the recreation center and the business school. The tents were taken down by law enforcement, but students and community activists have maintained a steady presence at the makeshift encampment since then.

In addition to general messages of support for Palestinians in Gaza and criticism of the school’s financial ties to Israel, the UConn demonstrators have also honed in on the school’s relationship with Connecticut-based defense contractors.

“Abolish ‘Lockheed Martin Day’: No more celebration of war profiteers,” read one sign in the encampment on Thursday evening. ‘Lockheed Martin Day’ is a day that has been marked by UConn to celebrate the school’s relationship with the defense giant.

Many major defense contractors with a presence in Connecticut are suppliers to the Israeli Defense Forces. Those firms are also top employers for UConn alumni. That symbiotic relationship between defense giants and Connecticut’s flagship school is celebrated by state leaders including Gov. Ned Lamont—but decried by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

On Sunday evening, Wesleyan students moved to set up their own tent encampment. Like their fellow campus activists around the country, Wesleyan organizers have made divestment from companies that do business with Israel a central theme of their demonstration. That same day, the Yale Daily News reported that Yale students reestablished a tent encampment on Cross Campus.

It is unclear how long Connecticut’s three campus encampments will be allowed or able to remain standing. Aside from the possibility of police action to remove them, students are also facing the end of the spring semester. With that deadline comes commencement ceremonies, which could provide a high-profile platform for demonstrators to stage disruptive protests.

Disruptions at commencement ceremonies could also lead to further confrontations between pro-Palestine protesters and those holding pro-Israel views.

Around the country, pro-Palestine campus protesters have been accused of using antisemitic language and intimidating Jewish students. In one instance at Yale, a pro-Israel activist claimed to have been struck in the face by a pro-
Palestine demonstrator. At Northeastern University, riot police arrested more than 100 students while the school charged that some protesters had used antisemitic slurs and encouraged violence against Jews. A pro-Palestine student group at Northeastern disputed those claims, according to the Associated Press.

The growing tensions on American campuses have already had an impact on national politics. Pundits, historians, and political operatives have all drawn comparisons between the present day and 1968. Like 1968, Democrats are preparing to gather in Chicago for their national convention. The convention is almost guaranteed to draw sizable pro-Palestine protests.

In Connecticut, the tangible political impact of the pro-Palestine protest movement has largely consisted of sporadic disruptions of elected officials in the months following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7th. Those disruptions proved to be a novel annoyance at first and have since died down in frequency.

But with campaign season about to swing into full gear and campuses preparing to empty out for the summer, attention might once again turn back to elected officials and the stances they have-or haven’t-taken to end the war in Gaza.

Cook vs. Canino in the 65th

On Saturday morning, a collection of Torrington-area Republicans gathered to cheer on Joe Canino, the 26 year-old State Senate staffer and Torrington native who was formally launching his challenge to incumbent Democratic State Representative Michelle Cook.

The race could be a prime pick-up opportunity for Republicans. The last time Cook faced a competitive race, she prevailed over Republican Chris Beyus by less than 300 votes in an election that saw more than 9,000 ballots cast. 

State Senator Lisa Seminara, State Representative Jay Case, State Representative Joe Hoxha, Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, and Republican Congressional candidate George Logan were among the GOP leaders who attended to show their support.

In a conversation with the Tip Sheet, Canino said he was “very happy” with the turnout. His message largely centered on familiar Republican points, namely the cost of living and public safety.

“Torrington is changing, Connecticut is changing,” Canino said, highlighting how rising costs for groceries and electricity impact families and the middle class.

While he is quick to point out areas where he believes Democratic policymakers have fallen short, Canino also said that he had no intentions of going negative against Cook.

“I have the utmost respect for her,” Canino said. “She cares deeply about our community.”

For her part, Cook said she was ready for the challenge. “You always have to be on your game,” she said in an interview the day after Canino’s campaign kick-off event. 

2024 marks Cook’s ninth run for her House seat. She is no stranger to tough campaigns and is considered a leader in the legislature on early childhood issues. Former House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz once described her as a “political powerhouse.”

Cook said she was “surprised” to learn that Canino would be challenging her. The two have known each other since Canino was a child growing up in town. Canino left Torrington to attend college at George Washington University. After college, he returned to Connecticut to take a job with the lobbying firm Sullivan & LeShane. He has been a press secretary in the Senate Republican Office since February and recently reestablished his Torrington residency.

Canino joins a crop of Gen Z candidates, including Democrats Ethan Werstler and MJ Shannon, seeking a seat in the state legislature. He is also among a group of current and former staffers seeking office this year. That group also includes Shannon, a legislative staffer, as well as Rob Blanchard and Nick Simmons.

A Connecticut Love Story: Paris & Privett Engaged

State Representative Corey P. Paris and Symphonie Privett celebrated their engagement this weekend alongside family, friends, and a number of Paris’ legislative colleagues.

Privett is an anchor and reporter at Fox 61 who was recently nominated for a New England Emmy Award for hosting Fox 61’s Juneteenth Special ‘Rooted in Resilience.’ Born in California to a Navy family, Privett has lived around the country and the world. She is a graduate of Arkansas State University.

Paris is a State Representative for Stamford who was elected in a 2021 special election following Pat Billie Miller’s elevation to the State Senate. Like Privett, Paris’s paternal family hails from Arkansas. He grew up in Kansas City and attended Western Connecticut State University.

The couple met in 2022 and began dating in 2023. Both are widely considered rising stars in their respective fields.

Congratulations Corey and Symphonie!

Three More Stories Driving the Week

Consensus revenue numbers are due out on Tuesday. The numbers will offer clarity in the ongoing debate over levels of available funds for nonprofits, higher education, and other legislative spending priorities.

The future of the wide-ranging A.I. bill principally authored by Democratic State Senator James Maroney is up in the air. Mark Pazniokas chronicled the concerns Governor Lamont has with the bill and the action Speaker Matt Ritter wants to see before he decides whether or not to bring the bill to the floor. Ritter sent a very blunt message to the Governor.

Connecticut is apparently “gripped” by something the Hartford Courant has decided to call “treegate.” Gov. Lamont is among those being cited for reportedly illegally cutting down nearly 200 trees on his Greenwich estate. Dan Haar offered perhaps the best summation of the whole affair. He wrote, “While the rest of us have battles over one or two trees, down in the Greenwich Midcountry, as they call it, they fight over whole forests.”

Correction: Last week’s edition of the Tip Sheet stated, “Milford Democrat MJ Shannon is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Charles Ferraro.” While Shannon is running to represent the 117th House District, incumbent Republican Representative Charles Ferraro had previously announced that he would not seek re-election to his seat.