The new chair of Connecticut’s Independent Party sees an opportunity for his party to win some local elections this year.
That's because of divisions in the GOP caused by some national Republican lawmakers who have become insurrectionists, said Stewart ‘Chip’ Beckett, who was elected chairman of the Connecticut Independent Party last month.
“And I actually think the Republican Party is going to implode. The divisions are so much that I don’t see it is going to be able to proceed as a unified structure going forward,” said the former Glastonbury Town Council member who left the GOP in 2020 and ran for Lt Governor on the Independent Party ticket two years ago.
Beckett said many unaffiliated voters are not excited about the Democrats, who control the state General Assembly and hold all the statewide elected offices.
“It’s a one-party system. I think there’s got to be some new ideas and some balance,” he said.
The Independent Party will field or cross-endorse candidates for about 120 of the 187 seats in the state General Assembly this year.
But Beckett said the party is not fielding a candidate to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat up for reelection this year.
That's because the party has only about 46,000 members scattered in small pockets across the state.
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