Latest Column | What CT Needs in a Governor–and From Republicans (September 2025)

Politics isn’t just about party labels. It’s about ideas—and whether those ideas make life better or worse for the people who live under them. This column is aimed especially at my fellow Republicans, because we need to be clear-eyed about the challenge ahead. But the truth applies to everyone who’s tired of the direction Connecticut has taken.

Democrats never seem to forget that politics is about moving policy to match their worldview. They know exactly what they want, bigger government, more dependency, and more control over your life—and they fight for it every single day.

At times, Republicans in Connecticut have lost sight of what we stand for. Too often our statewide candidates are convinced—by campaign advisors, consultants, and the endless stream of political armchair quarterbacks—that they must tiptoe around Connecticut being a blue state. The result is cautious campaigns instead of bold ones. But history proves the opposite: when Republicans run proudly on our principles, voters respond. The lesson is simple: clarity and conviction earn respect; timidity earns defeat.

If you stand for nothing, why should anyone stand with you?

Remarkably, Democrats rarely run away from their ideas, as destructive as they may be. They say them aloud. They campaign on them. Then they pass them into law. That’s why Connecticut is as expensive as it is, why crime is up, and why corruption feels like business as usual.

Republicans must learn the same lesson in reverse. We cannot be afraid to run on our ideas. We must take the fight to Democrats—not just to hammer their failures, but to show voters there’s a better, saner way forward.

Winning isn’t about pretending to be Democrat-lite. If voters want Democrats, they’ll choose the real thing. Winning is about offering a real choice: freedom instead of control, prosperity instead of decline, accountability instead of corruption.

In 2026, Connecticut will elect a new governor. It will be one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. If Republicans are going to have a chance, we must rally behind a candidate who understands what’s at stake. We don’t need a manager. We don’t need a placeholder. We need a standard bearer. Someone who can unify Republicans without diluting our principles. Someone who will proudly defend the founding vision of this country—freedom, equality under the law, and representation—not as slogans, but as a way of life worth protecting.

That candidate must be unafraid to call out Democrats on their record—on affordability, where their policies have drained household budgets; on crime, where their so-called reforms have made communities less safe; and on corruption, where one-party rule has turned government into a tool for insiders—and must also have the knowledge and skill to do it effectively. Courage alone isn’t enough; our standard bearer must be prepared and equipped to prosecute the case.

And just as important, our candidate must be able to inspire. Voters don’t just want critiques—they want hope. They want to believe Connecticut can still be turned around. And it can. But only if we’re bold enough to make the case.

A standard bearer is only as strong as the party that rallies behind him. And unity doesn’t mean pretending we all think alike—it means agreeing on the principles that define us. Too often in the past, Republicans have been divided between those who believe in boldly advancing our principles and those convinced by consultants and pollsters that candidates should simply mirror the political environment. Of course, we adapt to circumstances—but never at the expense of our values. Our job is to sell our ideas, even when they don’t start out popular. That division has weakened us. This time, we can’t afford it. We need every Republican standing together behind one candidate, one vision, and one determined fight for Connecticut’s future.

Winning elections is only half the battle. To change Connecticut, Republicans in office must consistently stand for Republican ideas. Real unity isn’t about papering over differences; it’s about being clear on the principles that make us who we are.

That clarity means standing proudly for fiscal sanity, smaller and accountable government, and protecting the freedoms of law-abiding citizens. It means holding ourselves to the same standard we hold Democrats to: if we don’t advance Republican values in office, then what exactly are we doing there?

Connecticut is ready. People are fed up with high costs, rising crime, and endless corruption. They’re tired of being told their eyes are lying to them, or that things are better than ever when they can see clearly that they aren’t. Ordinary citizens just want common sense back in government—and frankly, who can blame them?

The future of this state depends on whether Republicans rise to the moment. We owe it to future generations not to play small, not to hide from who we are, but to fight unapologetically for the principles that built this country and can save this state.

If we do, Connecticut has a fighting chance. And all we’ve ever needed—truly—is the will to fight, and the courage to win.