Hartford, Ct. – Career politician Tim Herbst has based his campaign almost entirely on a promise to not raise taxes and to tackle Connecticut’s long-term pension liabilities. he recently-passed Republican budget, which Herbst supports, goes zero for two.

While Republicans for months claimed their budget contained no tax increases, the reality is that the bill they passed through the general assembly contains $840 million in new taxes, including a $150 million increase on the working poor.

At the same time, the GOP budget returns to Rowland-era budgeting gimmicks on steroids and massively underfunds Connecticut’s pension liabilities. In fact, the GOP budget would cut pension contributions by $321 million. This kick-the-can approach to budgeting is a major reason for Connecticut’s fiscal woes, and Herbst’s open embrace of this strategy throws cold water on his fiscal arguments.

“Tim Herbst is a fraud,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Executive Director Michael Mandell. “He has based his whole campaign on a promise of fiscal responsibility, but he is embracing perhaps the most fiscally irresponsible budget in Connecticut’s history.  If you want a governor who will make Connecticut’s fiscal challenges exponentially worse, it looks like Tim Herbst is your guy. If you want a governor who just tries to see his name in the paper and appease his Hartford political bosses, without caring one bit about middle-class families, Tim Herbst is your guy. If you want a governor who make hard choices to make sure every person in Connecticut – no matter their zip code – has the opportunity to succeed in our state, elect a Democrat.”