Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

An Unexpected Glimmer of Hope By Chris P. Janelli, Chairman, Salisbury Republican Town Committee Sometimes when you least expect it, something happens to restore your faith in a struggling Republican Party in deep blue Connecticut. Such an event happened the night of February 28th at the Salisbury Republican Town Committee meeting. Mike Clark, candidate for the Congressional 5th district and Rep. Clark Chapin seeking to fill Senator Roraback’s 30th district seat were scheduled to address the SRTC. What wasn’t expected was the tall stranger in a dark pinstripe suit who entered with two young associates. I introduced myself and asked who he was and he replied, “I’m Peter Lumaj from Fairfield, I’m running for the U.S. Senate and I would like to address your committee.” My initial reaction was tinged with incredulity as I replied, “I haven’t even heard of you and we have a heavy schedule this evening, but I’ll give you 5 minutes,” for which he thanked me. After a few minutes of ...

Richard Armey, co-chairman of FreedomWorks in Washington (DC) and a former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader, has stuck his toe into Connecticut politics. So far, his reception has been chilly. Armey issued a mass e-mailing and press release critical of Gov. Jodi Rell, the titular head of the state’s Republican Party, that took aim at her promised income tax hike. "With a current budget surplus,” Armey wrote, “the idea of a new multi-billion-dollar tax hike is even more outrageous. If enacted, this tax hike will drive businesses and residents out of the state to seek more tax-friendly havens. As a result, Connecticut's economy will be left in ruins, and Gov. Rell's bloated education budget will do little for the residents of Connecticut." These are strange times in Connecticut politics. During her rather uneventful gubernatorial campaign, Rell emerge from the ordeal as a tax and spend Republican; who’da thunk it? Recent polls indicate that most voters and taxpayer...