{"id":7887,"date":"2022-08-17T09:09:27","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T09:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/op-ed-if-connecticut-republicans-want-to-win-some-soul-searching-is-in-order\/"},"modified":"2022-08-17T09:09:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T09:09:27","slug":"op-ed-if-connecticut-republicans-want-to-win-some-soul-searching-is-in-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=7887","title":{"rendered":"OP-ED | If Connecticut Republicans Want To Win, Some Soul Searching Is In Order"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

TERRY COWGILL<\/strong><\/p>\n

What happens when a political party gets wiped out in elections? Typically, there are varying degrees of soul searching, hand wringing, pearl clutching \u2013 you name the clich\u00e9 \u2013 among the party faithful, depending on the severity of the defeat. It\u2019s unusual to see such activity before the general election, but if the early buzz is any indication, most Connecticut Republicans aren\u2019t happy with the results of last week\u2019s primary elections and are not terribly optimistic about the party\u2019s chances in November.<\/p>\n

Since the primaries, I\u2019ve spoken with a number of state Republican officials and activists, none of whom wanted to be quoted by name. The mood among these people ranges from discouraged to despairing.<\/p>\n

The upset of moderate Themis Klarides at the hands of neo-Trumpian<\/a> Lenora Levy in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate seat has cut through the fog of uncertainty like a dagger. Hartford insider Klarides, the former state House minority leader, received the party\u2019s endorsement at the party\u2019s convention last month and was widely assumed to be the frontrunner. Levy\u2019s 10-point margin of victory was, in the words of Sacred Heart University Prof. Gary Hart, \u201can upset of historic proportions<\/a>,\u201d especially when one considers that she had to split the conservative vote with fellow Trump admirer Peter Lumaj.<\/p>\n

Levy, a prodigious GOP fundraiser and a member of the Republican National Committee, will square off against incumbent Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who is equally wealthy and well connected but who has the backing of just about every voter in the state who can\u2019t stand Donald Trump. For some perspective, in the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden got nearly 60% of the vote<\/a> in Connecticut. Biden\u2019s approval ratings have taken a beating here, as they have just about everywhere else, but the president won\u2019t be on the ballot in November.<\/p>\n

Blumenthal\u2019s approval ratings have also slipped over the years, but even Klarides faced an uphill climb in trying to unseat a man who spent 20 years as state attorney general, playing legal Superman and suing everyone in sight who might harm his state.<\/p>\n

Themis went to great pains to distance herself from Trump and aim her barbs at Blumenthal and Biden, while Levy embraced the ex-president and received a last-minute endorsement from him. Ironically, Trump might be the only politician whose approval ratings are lower than Blumenthal\u2019s in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

But a number of factors came together to put Levy over the top: at about 20%, turnout among Republican voters was low; the unaffiliated voters like yours truly who might have gravitated toward Themis cannot participate in party primaries. Perhaps, as my colleague Susan Bigelow observed recently, that needs to change.<\/p>\n

Levy also received a last-minute endorsement from Trump the day after the FBI executed a search warrant<\/a> at his Palm Beach, Florida, compound. The search, which sparked outrage and conspiracy theories<\/a> among Trump supporters, probably motivated more of them to come out on primary day.<\/p>\n

In assessing the viability of a political campaign, never underestimate what I would call the fervor factor, especially in a close race. Columnist Chris Powell, who is generally sympathetic to Republicans, wrote last week<\/a> of the lukewarm support for Klarides: \u201cShe didn\u2019t give enough Republicans a reason. Indeed, she seemed to lack enthusiasm for her own campaign.\u201d One Powell commenter put it more succinctly \u2013 and I suspect s\/he speaks for many Levy voters: \u201cYes, Klarides was a very nice RINO, with nothing in her heart except to join the most exclusive club on earth. I just waited for any supporter of The Don to emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another source of angst for the Republicans I\u2019ve spoken to is GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob Stefanowski who, in a repeat performance, is trying to move the needle after his unsuccessful 2018 bid against Ned Lamont. \u201cRepeat\u201d is the key word here. As I wrote last month, twice since 2010, Republicans ran a wealthy businessman with no experience as a candidate for public office against Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and twice Tom Foley lost.<\/p>\n

Twice they ran a wealthy businesswoman, Linda McMahon, against each of our Democratic US senators and she lost both times. Then they ran Bob against Ned in 2018 and lost. Now, contrary to all good common sense, they expect a different result?<\/p>\n

Stefanowski, a former executive at GE and UBS, appears to know little about politics and the art of persuasion beyond pitching an idea in a corporate boardroom. But to be fair, he has a thankless task. Bob is trying to convince voters to fire an incumbent governor who has presided over increased fiscal stability, competent management of the COVID-19 pandemic and now has bragging rights to a series of positive reports about its quality of living, most recently from WalletHub<\/a>, a personal finance website.<\/p>\n

Yes, Connecticut is expensive, taxes are relatively high (though competitive with neighboring states) and there are long-term problems related to fiscal stability and affordability that must be addressed, but WalletHub places Connecticut 3rd in education and health, 14th in safety, 24th in quality of life and the 7th best state to raise a family<\/a>. Connecticut isn\u2019t paradise but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for a low-tax state dominated by Christian conservatives who want to tell me and the women in my family how to live, or insist that the nation\u2019s plague of gun violence can be addressed by better mental health services alone.<\/p>\n

Bob has tried to give his flagging campaign a shot in the arm by hiring a new campaign manager, Patrick Sasser<\/a>, who made a name for himself as the leader of a successful campaign, No Tolls CT<\/a>, whose goal was to stop Lamont\u2019s early effort to put tolls on several of the state\u2019s highways. Last year, Sasser also managed the winning special-election campaign of state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich.<\/p>\n

But Sasser, a Stamford firefighter, has never run anything resembling a statewide campaign. As I wrote at the time<\/a> on social media, \u201cMy guess is Sasser won\u2019t really be running the campaign per se, but will be the guy with sharp elbows who puts the press corps in its place with blunt language such as the kind he uses right here on Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The one bright spot for the GOP seems to be the 5th District congressional race. Incumbent two-term Democrat Jahana Hayes is seen as vulnerable because Biden is unpopular and the Fightin\u2019 Fifth is known as a swing district even though it has been Democratic since 2006, when now U.S. Sen Chris Murphy dethroned Republican legend Nancy Johnson. Establishment Republicans I\u2019ve spoken with are universally optimistic about the chances of Hayes\u2019 challenger, former state Sen. George Logan.<\/p>\n

I ran into one Logan booster on Saturday in my hometown of Salisbury. Tom Morrison, an author<\/a> and retired tort lawyer, chairs the Republican Town Committee<\/a>. In a letter<\/a> to the Lakeville Journal, Morrison singled out Logan, a moderate Republican, as \u201cextremely personable and charismatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge cares deeply about our District and the State,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cHis message of lowering costs for families, supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, improving our schools, and supporting law enforcement is sensible and realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

That all rings true, except the part about \u201ccaring deeply about the district.\u201d Logan did not live in the 5th District until recently, when he moved to a leased home<\/a> in Meriden. Logan has lived in Ansonia, which lies in his old state Senate district, for 20 years. I personally don\u2019t give a rip where my representatives in Congress live, as long as they represent me well. But not everyone is as forgiving about carpet-bagging and naked opportunism.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say Logan has a chance to beat Hayes, but the incumbent has still got to be considered the favorite. Hayes has, for the most part, been cautiously centrist, and hasn\u2019t made any big mistakes. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the 5th and the Democratic presidential candidate has carried the district in every election since 2000 when the 5th was created in a mandated merger with the 6th, Johnson\u2019s old district.<\/p>\n

The smart money will be on the GOP getting wiped out in the marquee matchups for governor, Senate, and Congress in November. And I say that utterly without glee. At least two competitive parties are essential to a functioning democracy in any given state. The Connecticut GOP must disown Donald Trump and the far right and move back to the Yankee Republicanism of fiscal responsibility and self-reliance embodied by Johnson, Chris Shays, and Rob Simmons. Or perhaps the Republicanism of John Rowland, minus the corruption. If not, it\u2019s lights out for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMore about Election 2022<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLeora Levy<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Lesson from Levy\u2019s Win: Open Up the Primaries<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s been a lot of head-scratching and soul-searching after hard-right Trump clone Leora Levy defeated moderate Republican and former House minority leader Themis Klarides for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination. Well, not everyone is worried; those jeers and howls of laughter you hear are coming from Democrats all over the state.\u00a0Still, one of our two\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Susan Bigelow<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 16, 2022, 4:45 amAugust 16, 2022, 1:01 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConnecticut State Capitol Building<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Political Party Endorsements Are Impactful, But Not This Time<\/h3>\n

Our state political parties are pretty stodgy when it comes to candidate recruitment, convention rules, and party procedures. This process includes candidates being endorsed by chosen convention delegates (through their respective local party committees) for registered party voters in primary elections. Connecticut saw the results of low turnout this week and voters supported state-party endorsed\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"ANALYSIS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMap of the 2022 Republican Connecticut Senate primary.<\/p>\n

ANALYSIS | Levy Shocks Klarides, Endorsed Candidates Roll<\/h3>\n

Leora Levy is the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She\u2019ll face off against Richard Blumenthal in the fall. She easily defeated well-known moderate Republican Themis Klarides, who served as House minority leader up until 2021, and in doing so almost certainly torpedoed any chance her party has of racking up some much-needed wins\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Susan Bigelow<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 11, 2022, 4:50 amAugust 11, 2022, 10:15 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Low<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer Secretary of the State Denise Merrill<\/p>\n

Low Voter Turnout Predicted<\/h3>\n

Hot weather, lower-profile races and lingering concern over COVID-19 may all contribute to low voter turnout during Tuesday\u2019s primary election in Connecticut, former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said Monday.\u00a0 Democrats and Republicans will head to the polls Tuesday to pick their candidates in a handful of races. Republicans will settle a three-way primary\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 9, 2022, 5:00 amAugust 8, 2022, 8:25 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Connecticut<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA voter fills out a ballot in Enfield in 2021<\/p>\n

Connecticut Voters Face Thursday Deadline to Register With a Party Online Before Primary<\/h3>\n

Unaffiliated Connecticut residents seeking to cast ballots in Tuesday\u2019s primary election are facing deadlines today to become members of a political party by mail or online.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 4, 2022, 12:44 pmAugust 4, 2022, 12:44 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tViolent crime in the US versus Connecticut, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer. The FBI began collecting data in 1985. The chart shows violent crime peaked in Connecticut in 1990 and has been trending downward ever since.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Shame On Politicians (And Journalists) Who Exploit Crime Stories<\/h3>\n

The boy who cried wolf \u2013 Alex Jones \u2013 is enmeshed in serious court time, and his business\u2019s bankruptcy. He is what fear would look like, if fear was made of flesh.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Judge<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUS Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, speaks to reporters at an event in November 2021.<\/p>\n

Judge Upholds Connecticut\u2019s Ballot Access Law, Rules Against Larson Challenger<\/h3>\n

A Hartford Superior Court judge on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of Connecticut\u2019s ballot access laws, handing another defeat to Muad Hrezi, the young Democrat who was challenging U.S. Rep. John Larson for the Democratic Party\u2019s nomination in the 1st Congressional District.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 3, 2022, 11:03 amAugust 3, 2022, 2:27 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Will Connecticut Republicans Choose Head, Heart, or LOLs?<\/h3>\n

Next week Republican voters go to the polls to choose their candidate to run against US Sen. Richard Blumenthal in the fall election. They are choosing between a good but probably doomed candidate, a consistent but absolutely doomed candidate, and total disaster.\u00a0What they choose in the primary next week will tell us a lot about\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Klarides<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThemis Klarides<\/p>\n

Klarides Aims Center, While Republican Opponents Tack Right<\/h3>\n

Themis Klarides embraced her moderate political leanings as a general election strength during a Tuesday night debate of Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls, which saw opponents Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj compete for the most conservative positions on abortion and gun control.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 26, 2022, 10:25 pmJuly 27, 2022, 8:42 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"8<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, shown in January 2020.<\/p>\n

8 Debates Announced<\/h3>\n

In advance of the election in November, Connecticut Public and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVCT) have scheduled a series of eight debates featuring candidates from races for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of the state, and the five congressional districts.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMore from Terry Cowgill<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Can Yang\u2019s Third Party Succeed? Depends On Where \u2018Forward\u2019 Is<\/h3>\n

In my most frustrated moments after I\u2019ve tried and failed to get started on a writing project, I often prompt myself by muttering, \u201cThere\u2019s got to be another way.\u201d Alas, I find myself doing much the same thing as I try to assess the state of politics in the United States and even in Connecticut\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Terry Cowgill<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 10, 2022, 4:45 amAugust 10, 2022, 7:20 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Credit Where It\u2019s Due: Blumenthal Is Right To Take On MLB\u2019s Monopoly<\/h3>\n

One hundred years ago in May, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld a decision by the federal Court of Appeals that the Sherman Antitrust Act did not apply to what is now known as Major League Baseball. The high court ruled that the league was a \u201cstate affair,\u201d not interstate commerce and therefore\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBob Stefanowski and Ned Lamont.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Is Businessman Stefanowski Doomed To Repeat History?<\/h3>\n

While much of the body politic is focused on the congressional midterms and whether President Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump will run for the White House again in 2024, true political junkies in Connecticut have turned their eyes to this year\u2019s gubernatorial election between incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican challenger, the career businessman\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Using Abortion As Business Recruiting Tool<\/h3>\n

Besides being the state\u2019s chief executive and the commander-in-chief of the National Guard, Connecticut\u2019s governor has something else in common with the other 49: he\u2019s the booster-in-chief who tries to market the state to potential investors, entrepreneurs, and existing businesses looking to relocate.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGeneric food truck<\/p>\n

OP-ED | As GOP Office Seekers Tiptoe Through Minefields, Talk of \u2018Moral Turpitude\u2019 in Torrington<\/h3>\n

There are lots of issues the government has no business being involved in. Locally, the latest example of government overreach is in Torrington, where the city can prohibit food truck vendors from doing their jobs unless they qualify for sainthood. I exaggerate, of course, but to my surprise, I learned recently that the city of\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBallot box outside Hartford City Hall<\/p>\n

OP-ED | State and Federal Government Fact Checkers Doomed To Fail<\/h3>\n

The problem with government fact checkers is both substantive and presumptive. Public officials sometimes put out false or misleading information themselves, Terry Cowgill opines.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

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