Governor Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, responded positively to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night in a statement posted to his website.

“I appreciate President Obama’s frank talk about the challenges that lie ahead and what we need to be willing to do to overcome them,” Malloy said in the statement. “I share his commitment to creating new jobs and keeping the ones we have. There are no easy answers, no quick fixes, and no silver bullet. These are going to be tough choices and our willingness to make them is directly related to our long and short-term recovery prospects.”

Malloy attended the speech as a guest of U.S. Rep. John Larson, a Democrat from Hartford. Back in October, Obama held a crucial rally for Malloy in Bridgeport, the city that would ultimately push Malloy into the win column.

“Connecticut finds itself in much the same position as our nation does. We need to create new jobs and get our fiscal house in order. I spoke with my commissioners earlier today and made clear to them that solving our budget crisis and creating new jobs starts with them,” Malloy wrote. “That means no new spending, no borrowing for operating expenses, no early retirement proposal and we absolutely must meet our pension obligations. Period.”

In November, Malloy defeated Republican candidate Tom Foley by a margin of only 5,637 votes, the smallest margin of victory in over 50 years.