Connecticut Republicans united Saturday behind a 36-year-old state senator, Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, as their choice to push the GOP past the scandal that derailed the former convention favorite, Erin Stewart, and on to the challenge of unseating an incumbent governor for the first time in 72 years.
Delegates at the Republican state convention at Mohegan Sun voted overwhelmingly for Fazio in what became a one-on-one contest with Betsy McCaughey, a conservative Newsmax cable host and former New York lieutenant governor making her electoral debut in Connecticut at age 77.
Fazio had 92% of the vote, leaving McCaughey far short of the 15% necessary to qualify for a primary in August. He is the youngest candidate to win the GOP gubernatorial endorsement since John G. Rowland’s first and unsuccessful try in 1990 as a 33-year-old congressman.
In his acceptance speech, Fazio immediately pivoted to the question he intends to endlessly ask while campaigning against two-term Gov. Ned Lamont, his presumed Democratic opponent in November.
“After eight years, Gov. Lamont says that he needs just four more,” Fazio said. He paused, then sharply asked, “Four more to do what, exactly? Gov. Lamont and his legislative supermajority might as well run on the slogan, ‘This is the best we think Connecticut can do.’”
Lamont is a fiscal centrist who has presided over eight years of budget surpluses and recent economic growth but has been dogged by the state’s high cost of living, especially electric rates, which Fazio is making a central issue of his campaign. He faces a primary from Rep. Josh Elliott, a liberal from Hamden.
[RELATED: In 2026 race for CT governor, electricity prices emerge as top issue]
Matt Corey won a contested race for lieutenant governor over Rep. Tim Ackert of Coventry, who was Stewart’s choice of a running mate.
It was a day for Republicans to relax after weeks of storiesundermining Stewart’s record as the mayor of New Britain and her viability as a candidate who could challenge Democrats on issues of integrity and common ground with struggling working class voters.
Stewart ended her campaign Thursday morning, shortly after the release of an investigative report documenting her extensive use of a city credit card for personal purchases while mayor of New Britain. She had urged her delegates to support Fazio, advice that most evidently followed.
On Saturday, McCaughey asked for and was granted a moment to speak once the balloting was complete. She announced to the cheering convention that she was endorsing Fazio, an announcement that ruled out the difficult option of petitioning to force a primary.
“I will be standing beside him every day until this election,” McCaughey said.
The first words of Fazio’s acceptance speech were to thank McCaughey for her “extraordinarily gracious remarks.”
“Now is the time for us to come together and focus on what matters most,” Fazio said. “I proudly accept your nomination for governor of the great state of Connecticut.”
Ackert also urged unity.
Ben Proto, the state GOP chair, had urged the delegates as the two-day convention opened Friday to end the Republican-on-Republican fights that have dominated social-media discourse among party activists. On Saturday, he was relieved at the tone of the proceedings.
“It’s always a good thing when you can unite the party,” Proto said.
John Healey, a former top state legislative staffer who was Stewart’s campaign manager, watched from the back of the convention hall.
Fazio has qualified for public financing under the voluntary Citizens’ Election Program, and he soon will receive an $18.1 million grant.
But the difficulties ahead are substantial for Fazio. Midterm elections historically are difficult for the party that holds the White House, and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are flagging as he presides over a war of choice with Iran and inflation driven by his tariffs and the war’s impact on gas prices.
Fazio brings an atypical resume to the race. The last seven governors all had run statewide elections, either primaries or general elections, before being elected governor. An eighth, Republican Thomas Meskill, won an open gubernatorial seat in 1970 as a congressman. Fazio has five years as a state legislator.
While the General Assembly has been a poor springboard to the governor’s office, Fazio emphasizes his history in succeeding as a Republican in a time and place hostile to the GOP.
Fazio got national notice when he flipped a Democratic state Senate seat in a special election, the first such GOP gain after Joe Biden won the White House. Fazio was reelected in 2022 and 2024, the second time outpolling Donald Trump to defeat a Democratic challenger who set a record for spending.
“I won a state Senate district three times that Kamala Harris won by 17% — by building bridges and focusing on the issues that matter most to our neighbors every day,” Fazio said.
He also won by keeping his distance from Trump, declining to share how he voted for president in 2016, 2020 or 2024. Only when he opened his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor did he divulge he voted all three times for the president.
By avoiding a primary, Fazio can focus on messaging that appeals beyond GOP voters, who polling shows remain loyal to Trump.
McCaughey, as a Newsmax host, was more closely associated with Trump.
Her name was placed in nomination by Linda Szynkowicz, who has made a living off Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud. She is founder of Fight Voter Fraud, a national nonprofit that has flourished. Her compensation went from $17,308 in a 2022 tax filing to $196,279 in 2023.
Szynkowicz was the only nominator to mention Trump. Fazio was nominated by Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield, one of the many lawmakers who backed him.
Fazio is not averse to using issues Trump has made central to political discourse in America, including hostility to state policies curbing immigration enforcement and to investments combating climate change.
He opposes the “public benefits” portion of electric bills, some of which encourages renewable sources of power, funds energy efficiency programs and provides the Millstone nuclear plant with a stable rate untouched by market fluctuations.
“We will eliminate every hidden tax in your electric bill and reduce your electric bills by 20%,” Fazio said. “We will end sanctuary for criminals, support our law enforcement and always put Connecticut citizens first.”
Those were applause lines on Saturday.
Delegates still were applauding when Fazio was joined by Amy Orser, his fiancée. Their wedding is planned for the fall, sometime after the election.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
