On Tuesday, Mar. 31, Andrew Rice, a candidate for the third congressional district of Connecticut, spoke at Mr Coss’s AP Government and Politics and civics classes. The 38-year-old former molecular biologist answered students’ questions about the wars in Iran and Venezuela, the cost of living and affordability, and healthcare. He is the second speaker to come to Coss’s classes, following the Hamden mayoral candidate Jameka Jeffries. Rice had a generally positive reception from students. 

Rice is running to unseat Rosa DeLauro, who has been the third district’s representative for the past 35 years. He believes that he has “better judgment on what people want and need” and that he is “more personable” than DeLauro. He recounted a story of how he confronted the incumbent about why she would not call what was happening in the Gaza Strip a genocide, and asked her how she sleeps at night. He said that she responded, “Very well.” He said that this interaction was a major force in his choice to run. Rice intends to have more science-backed policies, not take corporate money from a Political Action Committee (when asked if he would take PAC money, he said, “Hell no”), and reduce the cost of living.

Many students liked him. “I had met some state legislators at the breakfast with the legislators event in February, though interacting with [Rice] as a class was more beneficial [than the breakfast event],” said sophomore Hollis Mead. “I really like how he is transparent with personal and political life, seeing that part of him, I see a lot in common with my ideology and personal experiences.” Mead added that Rice’s dog, Yoshi, is “so cute.” Sophomore Khloé Lawson said that “he seemed energetic and took his time to speak to us,” and that his visit enhanced her understanding of the material covered in AP Gov, by showing her the “real impact and power the branches have.” Sophomore Anabella Cabadas said that she thought that he was a “cool guy with good ideas that resonated with me.” She said that she feels more inspired to take action; “[He] made me think about how the cost of living is so high; It made me want to be more involved in the community.”

Coss said that he usually has about two guest speakers per year. He says he intends to have more on the other side of the AP tests, as that is a “good time for speakers.” He says he wants to get state legislators Laurie Sweet and Josh Elliott to come, as well as his son, who is a political consultant, and Khloé Lawson’s mom, who runs a “very interesting interest group.” Cabadas said that she would like to see Mayor Adam Sendroff speak, as she has “only met him once and [does not] know much about him.” Mead said that he wanted someone from the Six Lakes Coalition to come and speak. 

Rice said that he really enjoyed speaking to the students. Rice is a “huge Star Wars fan,” and in response to a question about what he took out of his speaking was “Yoda says, ‘Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.’” He said he appreciated how the questions were less monotonous and one of the most challenging. “I’ve never been asked before what drives me, and personal questions that deviate from policy, towards [my personal life],” he said. “They really challenged my own sense of what is driving me to do this, and one student asked me, ‘Which one would be more fun, Congress or science?’. Not really a deep question, but an important reminder of the human aspects of running for Congress. It was very grounding.” Coss said that his classes “absolutely found value” in Rice’s visit. “One of the key skills in democracy is the ability to evaluate candidates; questioning them directly gives the opportunity to see how people react on their feet,” he said. “Social media doesn’t convey genuine sincerity.”

If you would like to become involved with Rice’s campaign, the best way, he said, was to follow, like, and comment on his social media, as the “biggest issue is that people don’t know we exist.” He added that if you don’t want to help his campaign but would like to participate civically, you could become involved with the 50501 group.