3 Connecticut Republicans clash in only TV debate for U.S. Senate primary; Levy says Lumaj, Klarides working jointly against her

Conservative Leora Levy and moderate Themis Klarides clashed repeatedly Tuesday night over guns, abortion and campaign contributions in the first Republican debate for the U.S. Senate primary.

Levy also accused the third candidate, conservative immigration attorney Peter Lumaj of Fairfield, of working in conjunction with Klarides in a joint move against Levy.

“I don’t know when you’re going to stop carrying the water for Ms. Klarides,’’ Levy said near the end of the 45-minute debate that was televised on the sister station of News Channel 8.

The candidates also battled over inflation and crime as they vied for votes of hard-core Republicans in the August 9 primary. The candidates blamed President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal for multiple problems facing the nation, including the highest inflation rate in the past 40 years at 9.1%.

Both Lumaj and Levy said that they were the most conservative candidate in the race, while the moderate Klarides noted that she won 11 elections in a Democratic-leaning district when she served in the state legislature for 22 years. She noted that she is the only one among the three who has ever served in elected office.

“I am a loud-mouthed Greek girl, and I am the best candidate here to beat Dick Blumenthal,’’ Klarides declared.

While Klarides is a moderate who won the party’s convention endorsement in May, both Levy and Lumaj are running as pro-gun, pro-Trump Republicans. Klarides supporters say the two opponents will split the conservative vote, allowing Klarides to win the primary in two weeks.

Campaign contributions

The candidates clashed over whether Levy, arguably the state’s top Republican fundraiser in recent years, had previously contributed to Blumenthal, a Democrat.

While the topic of abortion was being discussed, Levy suddenly pivoted and said, “I never donated to Blumenthal. That is a lie. ... That is my husband.’’

But Klarides doubled down, saying that Levy had not only contributed to Blumenthal but also to former U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, a liberal Democrat. Saying the political donations are public record, Klarides said that Levy that she needs to check the records more carefully.

“Again, what my husband does is my husband’s business,’’ Levy responded. “I don’t blame you for the rate hikes at Eversource. What your husband does is what your husband does. ... I never donated to Dick Blumenthal. It was my husband 25 years ago.’’

Klarides’s husband, Greg Butler, serves as executive vice president and general counsel at Eversource, the well-known electric company. Butler, who considered running for governor in the past, is her top adviser and appeared constantly with her in early May during the Republican state convention at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Levy has described Klarides as a “Hartford swamp creature” who accepted campaign contributions from high-level executives at Eversource.

Abortion

The candidates also tangled on the controversial issue of abortion as Lumaj said that he has been consistently against abortion during his career, unlike Levy.

The landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case “was decided on shaky grounds,’’ Lumaj said. “The Supreme Court got it right this time. ... I agree with the decision of the Supreme Court. ... Let the states decide on this. If Connecticut wants to have abortion, fine.’’

Looking toward Klarides, Lumaj said, “She’s pro-abortion. I’m pro-life. ... What bothers me about Leora is this: in 2012, when she spoke at the Republican National Convention, she was pro-abortion.’’

Levy countered, “As a mother of three wonderful sons, I experienced a very difficult time having children. My life was at risk three times in one of my pregnancies. ... I am pro-life. I am committed to life beginning at conception. I recognize exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest. But my opponent has helped to make Connecticut a sanctuary state for abortion.’’

But Klarides responded that Levy had her facts wrong about abortion and other issues.

“I was not even in the legislature’' when lawmakers passed the new abortion law that Gov. Ned Lamont signed earlier this year, Klarides said.

Klarides added, “I have always supported a woman’s right to choose throughout my career. ... I support parental consent as long as there is a judicial option for minors who are afraid to talk to their parents.’’

Trump

Each of the candidates did not immediately answer directly when asked if they would vote for Donald J. Trump for president in 2024. Debate co-host Dennis House needed to ask each of them to further clarify their views, telling them that it was a lightning round with a yes or no answer.

When asked again if he would vote for Trump, Lumaj answered, “Policy wise, yes.’’

Klarides said, “I would have to see who else is running - on both sides.’'

Levy said she always supports the Republican nominee “unlike my opponent who did not vote for Trump and gave us Biden.’'

Klarides told The Courant at the state party convention that she voted for her friend, former House Republican leader Larry Cafero, in 2020 as a write-in candidate for president.

Gun control

The candidates also could not agree on the recent gun safety bill that was passed by the U.S. Congress after negotiations spearheaded on a bipartisan basis by both U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Blumenthal. The measure passed both chambers with the support of Biden. The bill marks the most substantial measure on guns by Congress in the past 30 years. Among others, the law offers incentives for states to follow the lead of Connecticut by enacting “red flag’' laws that are designed to stop potential shooters who could harm themselves or others.

“Yes, I would have voted for that bill,’' said Klarides, noting that she has been a pistol permit holder for the past three decades.

Lumaj said that he holds a concealed carry permit, adding, “I’m a Second Amendment guy. ... Mental health? Sure, I would support that.’’

When asked if he would have voted for the measure, Lumaj responded, “Not the entire bill.’’

Levy said she, too, would not have voted for the bill.

“The answer is not in penalizing law-abiding citizens by taking away their Second Amendment rights,’’ Levy responded. “The problem is not legal, law-abiding citizens. The problem is criminals. ... I am the law and order candidate.’’

But Klarides said that she, in fact, is the law-and-order candidate because she has been endorsed by the Connecticut state police union and the Fraternal Order of Police, which are both mentioned in a Super PAC commercial that was crafted separately from the Klarides campaign.

Regarding whether teachers should be armed in their classrooms, Levy said, “I would train teachers if they chose to be trained. ... Absolutely.’’

Levy said the state law passed that Klarides supported in the legislature after the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School “really takes away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.’’

Lumaj said that he supports arming school resource officers.

While Klarides has the support of police organizations, Levy says she has the support of rank-and-file officers.

“We shoot as a family. We own guns,’’ Levy said.

The winner of the primary will run against Blumenthal, a Democratic powerhouse who has never lost an election in his 37-year career. Besides sky-high name recognition, Blumenthal, 76, also has a fundraising advantage, based on the latest statistics.

Blumenthal has $8.3 million in cash on hand, compared to $636,000 for Levy at the close of the recent quarter on June 30. Klarides and Lumaj both have less than $475,000 each. At the same time, an independent Super PAC has been running pro-Klarides commercials on a regular basis and plans to run anti-Blumenthal ads, according to public records.

Regarding the clash, Klarides says it has largely been a one-way fight as Levy has done most of the attacking. She noted that Levy ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat in Greenwich and lost to Ryan Fazio last year because “her own town didn’t want her nominated.’’

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Blumenthal with his lowest approval rating since being elected to the U.S. Senate nearly 12 years ago. The survey showed 45% of registered voters approve of his job performance, while 43% disapprove. Among the all-important independent voters, Blumenthal’s numbers were under water with 41% approving and 44% disapproving.

In addition, a poll by Emerson College for News 8 showed Blumenthal 10 points ahead of Klarides and 16 points ahead of Levy and Lumaj with a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.

Scott McLean, a longtime political science professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, said before the debate that there was little upside for Klarides in the contest against two conservatives.

“I don’t even know why Themis is doing this debate. To me, it’s nuts,’’ McLean told The Courant. “I don’t understand why she would take a chance like this. ... I don’t see any upside for her participating in the debate with Lumaj and Levy. I just don’t see it. She has more to lose than to gain.’’

McLean said that Klarides needed to avoid saying anything that could eventually hurt her in the general election and “make herself unsupportable by the Trumpers in the state.’’ She needs to avoid making statements that will “make the Republican base unhappy with her and not willing to go out and vote for her,’’ McLean said.

With Levy and Klarides clashing against each other potentially for another two weeks, McLean said, “Lumaj is just going to say, ‘Look what you get if you vote for either of these two people. You should vote for me. I’m really conservative, but I’m not crazy.’ It’s the person who stays out of it who tends to get more votes out of it.’’

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com