Expect to see more of Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on the national stage attacking Republican policies as he draws closer to taking over as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2016. Gov. Malloy clearly relishes the opportunity to mix it up with Republicans and political commentators on the national news networks.

Connecticut, however, needs a governor firmly focused on Connecticut. It’s now apparent the governor and Democratic legislature did not fully repair the state’s fiscal problems in Gov. Malloy’s first term. The state’s economic recovery lags behind much of the nation and southeastern Connecticut lags behind the rest of the state. Addressing those challenges must be the priority.

While Gov. Malloy appears popular with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party nationally — having pushed a state agenda that included tough gun control, a minimum wage hike and mandatory sick leave — his approval ratings at home continue to lag. He won re-election in large part because he had a weak opponent who ran a terrible campaign.

The governor should focus more effort on working to gain the confidence of Connecticut residents than on winning partisan debates on the national stage.

Mark Bergman, director of communications for Gov. Malloy, dismisses the notion that time spent making the case for Democratic policies nationally detracts from the attention the governor gives to the challenges facing Connecticut. Talk show appearances are a sidelight, running Connecticut the governor’s full-time job and passion, Mr. Bergman said.

True, the governor is not running for president, a pursuit known to take governors very much away from their primary responsibilities. Still, Gov. Malloy’s lack of engagement during the current legislative session suggests he may be finding the notoriety of TV’s celebrity-style political pugilism more enticing than the routine of deal making at the state level.

Keeping things in perspective, as chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Gov. Malloy will be the top dog in a rather small kennel. Democrats hold only 18 governorships, just one off the party’s historic low of 17 in 1996 and 1998.

Gov. Malloy is not waiting for the chairman’s seat to raise his national profile. He shouldered his way to front and center in the recent controversy over Indiana’s religious freedom law. The law was a misguided attempt to protect the religious freedom of Christian florists, wedding planners and bakers by giving them legal cover to refuse to do business with couples planning same-sex marriages.

The law looked more like discrimination than religious freedom, critics noting that some might also use it to deny individuals housing or jobs under the guise of religious freedom.

Gov. Malloy pounced, issuing a travel ban to Indiana by Connecticut state employees. It was largely a symbolic act, but one that earned the Connecticut governor plenty of national attention.

“When you see a bigot, you have to call him on it,” said Gov. Malloy of Indiana’s Republican Gov. Mike Pence. He made the comment during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” political talk show.

After major corporations and organizations threatened to take their business elsewhere if the law remained, Gov. Pence and the legislature backed off. Indiana lawmakers amended the law to state it does not, “Authorize a provider to refuse to offer or provide services, facilities, use of public accommodations, goods, employment, or housing to any member or members of the general public based on race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or United States military service.”

Gov. Malloy lifted the travel ban.

While the Connecticut governor was on the right side of this issue, it would not serve the country well if states routinely withheld business from each other over legal and policy disagreements.

Addressing that concern, Mr. Bergman said the Indiana situation was unusual, involving fundamental civil rights. The governor will not take such actions over normal political disagreements, he said.

The state has also witnessed Gov. Malloy talk derisively about the presidential aspirations of Louisiana’s Republican governor, Bobby Jindal. In 2013, Gov. Malloy confronted then Texas Gov. Rick Perry when the Republican came to Connecticut to woo gun manufacturers unhappy with the state’s tough new gun law. Gov. Malloy’s jibes aimed at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another potential Republican presidential candidate, are legendary among political junkies.

That’s entertainment, but the challenges facing Connecticut are quite serious and Gov. Malloy must make sure they never place second to his growing role as political attack dog.