Leora Levy, the Trump-endorsed candidate, has won Connecticut’s U.S. Senate Republican primary to take on the state’s Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal in November.
Levy, a member of the Republican National Committee, was a Jeb Bush supporter in 2016. She’s since embraced the MAGA movement and opposes abortion rights and gun restrictions.
That won her the Trump endorsement. She thanked Trump for her victory and condemned the FBI search of his Florida home.
“That is unAmerican," Levy said. "That is what they do in Cuba, in China in dictatorships and that will stop. We must take the majority in both houses and we will bring all those people to account because this shouldn’t happen in our country.”
Levy defeated the party endorsed moderate former state House Minority leader Themis Klarides and attorney Peter Lumaj in the low turnout primary.
Connecticut hasn't had a Republican in the U.S. Senate in three decades.
Statewide candidates
In other statewide races, party-endorsed candidates Democrat Stephanie Thomas and Republican Dominic Rapini won their primaries to face off for the open Secretary of the State’s seat in November.
Democrat Eric Russell, the party-endorsed candidate, won a three-way primary to take on Republican Harry Arora for the open state Treasurer’s seat.
In the race for Connecticut’s fourth congressional district, Republicans Jayme Stevenson and Michael Goldstein will also face off to challenge Democratic Congressman Jim Himes.
Incumbent Ned Lamont and his Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski ran unopposed in their party's primary election.
Notable local races
State Representative Treneé McGee, D-West Haven, who opposes abortion because of its racist history against Black women, defeated Joseph Miller.
The West Haven race was one of four Democratic and two Republican primaries for state House of Representatives.
There was one Democratic primary for state Senate. Herron Gaston, the party-endorsed candidate, defeated State Senator Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport, who is facing criminal charges for allegations of illegal fundraising.
Note: Brock Weber, a Republican candidate for Secretary of the State, dropped out of the race in July, but his name may still have appeared on ballots.
Four states held primaries Tuesday: Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont.
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