The challenges of winning a Republican primary and then unseating a Democratic governor in blue Connecticut were encapsulated in the seemingly contradictory questions posed in a debate Thursday night to two of the three GOP gubernatorial candidates.
How would they appeal to unaffiliated voters, the largest voting bloc in Connecticut? How would they govern with a Democratic legislature? And then, how would they articulate doing those things — and also explain their plans to rev up the Republican base?
State Sen. Ryan Fazio and Newsmax host Betsy McCaughey, both residents of Greenwich, took a crack at those questions over a 90-minute debate broadcast live on WTIC-AM. Erin Stewart, the former mayor of New Britain, declined to attend the event in neighboring Farmington.
“Connecticut is one of the largest blocks of unaffiliated, independent voters in the country. What specific outreach, messaging or policy approaches will you use to earn their trust and votes in both the primary and the general election against Ned Lamont?” asked radio host Reese Hopkins.
One problem for the candidates is that unaffiliated voters, who polls show are far more moderate than the Republican base, cannot vote in primaries unless they enroll in the Republican Party.
So, job one is appealing to Republicans and winning the nomination.
Ryan made the case that he has crossover appeal, winning reelection in 2024 in a district that Trump lost by 17 percentage points. But he took no positions that would cost him among Trump voters, pledging to deny Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants and cooperate with ICE.
Asked if he would support any of the 45 or so legal actions that Attorney General William Tong has filed against Trump, Ryan turned the question on its head.
“This attorney general should spend his time defending the very specific and material interests of Connecticut residents. The job of attorney general is not guest on MSNBC, it is the chief legal officer of the state of Connecticut and the representative of the people,” Ryan said. “And maybe there should be a constitutional change that the attorney general should be appointed, not elected, so it’s not so political as it is now.”
McCaughey had a similar take: Tong, a Democrat, should be challenging the laws just passed and signed by the Democratic legislature and governor.
“The last session of the legislature was an all-out assault on our Bill of Rights and on the United States Constitution. They took that document and trampled it to the floor,” McCaughey said, stamping her feet. “It was so terrible. So if you’re worried about government forcing you to vaccinate your children, or about government taking away your firearms, or about government preventing you from homeschooling your children, I have your back.”
Fazio would not be outdone.
“I have been willing to stand up and say ‘no’ to the overreaches and abuses at every turn of this governor and this supermajority in this state legislature,” Fazio said. “I spent hours and hours. I was there till 4 a.m. with the homeschool and private school families saying ‘no’ to the elimination of their parental rights.”
McCaughey said expanding the base cannot come at the cost of compromising beliefs.
“The fact is, we do have to talk across the aisle,” she said. “But I will say, in addition, we cannot abandon our principles and become wishy washy milk toast Republicans who don’t fight for what we believe. In this election, we have to go bold and, frankly, I have to admit to you, I am a red meat Republican.”
The audience applauded.
Hopkins branded the event as the 11th Commandment Gubernatorial Debate, a reference to Ronald Reagan’s rule: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”
And they didn’t, at least not by name.
Fazio had one dig at the absent Stewart. He used the first question to make a point about candidates needing to demonstrate their skills.
“I think debates and questions like you just asked are important for our candidates for governor to answer in an extemporaneous way with no notes,” Fazio said. “Because in order for us to defeat Gov. Lamont and chart a better course for our state, we’re going to have to have someone who can stand on the stage with him and in front of the media day after day and answer these hard questions.”
McCaughey pledges to eliminate the income tax, a task she allowed might require a second term. Fazio proposes a $1,500 tax cut.
“Voters can tell whether the plans that we offer are credible and realistic. I will offer the most ambitious and realistic plans possible on this campaign,” Fazio said. “I can explain exactly how I will deliver everything I propose. Fifteen hundred dollars for the average family making $90,000 a year in the state is real relief. I’ll get it done, and that’s going to matter to the future.”
“To me, this is baby steps,” McCaughey said. “If we’re going to turn Connecticut around and create a comeback, a Connecticut comeback, we need to go bold. A $1,500 tax cut will not attract companies back to Connecticut. It may be nice to have the extra money in your pocket, but it will not produce higher wage jobs. It will not produce business startups. It will not produce a boom in Connecticut.”
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
