The first thing the next Congress absolutely must do, or it will do nothing else effectively, is to take the jinx off compromise. The majority party in each chamber needs to be able to shake hands with its own members, the minority caucus, the other house and the new president.

If the American people knew which candidates would accomplish that, the majority have hinted by their whopping disapproval of Congress that they might vote for those candidates willing to end the stalemates. Connecticut voters have a Senate seat to fill this year. Democrat Richard Blumenthal is running for a second term. State Rep. Dan Carter of Bethel prevailed as the Republican candidate after an intra-party contest earlier this year.

Blumenthal, 70, has demonstrated he is willing to compromise.

The senator is so well known for his pro-consumerism as a former Connecticut attorney general that he has among the highest name recognitions in the state. Carter, 49, has little familiarity for voters outside his district of Danbury, Bethel, and Newtown — which makes it a particular shame that the incumbent agreed to only one debate, and that on a Sunday morning in a television studio with no live audience.

Carter is a former Air Force pilot and trainer who later worked for Pfizer as an account executive. He has served in the General Assembly since 2010. He may be best known outside his district for his vote against gun control reforms after the Sandy Hook shootings, despite representing Newtown. The National Rifle Association gives him good marks. The Day supported the reforms.

He considers the Iran nuclear deal, which The Day also supported, to be a "horrible" mistake. Rather than tearing up the deal, he favors enforcing the sanctions Iran would incur by breaking any promises. He has visited Israel — and during his visit with the editorial board, he wore a lapel pin of the American and Israeli flags. The U.S. must strongly stand by its "staunch ally," Carter said.

Carter wants to see the Affordable Care Act undergo major repair rather than outright repeal, and to keep in place safety net provisions such as coverage for pre-existing conditions, while taking the burden of growing premiums off the middle-class.

He is in many ways a "Connecticut Republican," fiscally conservative, but more moderate in his approach and willingness to compromise than are many Republicans on the national stage.

Blumenthal is a member of the Judiciary Committee and ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee. He has co-authored bills with colleagues of both parties. In his first term he has stayed with his pattern of defending constituents, including women, veterans and consumers, against special interests.

When not reacting to such issues, Blumenthal has proactively supported what he considers investments, rather than expenditures, in national defense, job creation and national security, including cybersecurity. He believes submarines give the United States an "asymmetrical advantage" in warfare and notes that building them, F-35 engines and military helicopters has given Connecticut thousands of jobs in the $17.6 billion defense budget.

He pushed for investment in infrastructure, including Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and repair of Connecticut's aging highways and bridges in a five-year, $305 billion plan. As an example of potential majority-minority cooperation in Congress, he cites a public-private partnership, or infrastructure bank, which would allow contractors to borrow at a lower rate and ostensibly bring back investment funds currently banked overseas. 

In some key foreign policy matters, the senator holds positions with which The Day disagrees. He says the Trans Pacific Partnership proposal is dead because the Senate majority leader has blocked it, but if it were brought to a vote he'd oppose it. He recently voted to override the president's veto of the act allowing U.S. citizens to sue Saudi Arabia in connection with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

He reluctantly voted for the Iran nuclear deal after concluding that action was urgent and that a military strike would have cost too many lives. Like Carter, Blumenthal said Iran must be held to strict compliance.

Domestically, Blumenthal says competition is the cure for what ails the Affordable Care Act. He'd lower the cost of drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate coverage costs and is open to a public option, perhaps lowering the Medicare age from 65 to 55.

He has persistently argued for gun control reform and says it is a passion he will not abandon. He has been an advocate for construction of the National Coast Guard Museum in New London. The Day agrees with those stances and endorses the senator's concept of investment in infrastructure, defense and job creation.

Recognizing his past and present efforts to build Senate bipartisanship on issues vital to us all, The Day endorses Sen. Richard Blumenthal for a second term.