“More Attack Ads Are on the Way”: The GOP Primary is Getting Ugly

Hartford, CT – Between avoiding questions from reporters on their support of Trump and dodging attacks from their primary opponents, it sounds exhausting to be a Connecticut Republican running for Governor.

This week, David Stemerman released an ad attacking opponent Bob Stefanowski for being a registered Democrat and for donating to Democrats…even though David Stemerman has been a registered Democrat and donated to Democrats.

Republicans also eviscerated each other at a debate last night, whether or not their opponents were actually in attendance. Here’s how that’s been playing:

• CT Mirror: “On and off stage Wednesday night, the Republican gubernatorial field turned on Bob Stefanowski.”
• CT Post: “But Stefanowski threw his own jabs — mostly at the primary bulldog Stemerman for his own party dalliances. By the end of the debate, no candidate — even endorsed candidate Mark Boughton who did not attend — seemed to escape without a scrape.”
• WTNH: “Bob doesn’t have a plan to cut taxes. He has a cut and paste presentation that he paid $50,000 for that could be put up in an academic institution like we have here,” said David Stemerman.”
• WFSB: “Republican candidates vying to be the next governor clashed in another debate on Wednesday night. The biggest fireworks of the night came when talking about their past support of Democrats.”
• AP: “Two Connecticut businessmen running in the Republican gubernatorial primary are accusing one another of not being Republican enough.”

“The race is on for which Republican is the most Republican,” said Democratic Party spokesperson Christina Polizzi. “Republicans can continue to duke it out, but at the end of the day, every single one of these candidates gave Donald Trump an “A” grade for his time in office. And judging by the twitter fights and low blows, Republican candidates are becoming more and more like Trump every day. The bottom line is, Republicans were too busy throwing jabs at one another to talk about actual issues like paid family leave and gun violence prevention. All Republicans have to offer are petty insults and glowing praise of Trump–but no actual plans to lead the state of Connecticut.”