GOP candidates Fazio, McCaughey debate; Stewart takes a pass

CT Mirror – Thursday, May 7, 2026
By Mark Pazniokas

The challenges of winning a Republican primary and then unseating a Democratic governor in blue Connecticut were encapsulated in the seemingly contradictory questions posed in a debate Thursday night to two of the three GOP gubernatorial candidates.

How would they appeal to unaffiliated voters, the largest voting bloc in Connecticut? How would they govern with a Democratic legislature? And then, how would they articulate doing those things — and also explain their plans to rev up the Republican base?

State Sen. Ryan Fazio and Newsmax host Betsy McCaughey, both residents of Greenwich, took a crack at those questions over a 90-minute debate broadcast live on WTIC-AM. Erin Stewart, the former mayor of New Britain, declined to attend the event in neighboring Farmington.

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