WASHINGTON – Connecticut Republicans will pick nominees in state primaries on Tuesday to challenge two longtime Democratic lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.
The leading GOP hopefuls for each seat won the party’s endorsement at state and district conventions but not by large enough margins to win the nominations outright.
In the U.S. Senate primary, Gerry Smith and Matt Corey will compete for the Republican nomination. Smith serves as first selectman for the town of Beacon Falls and is also an insurance agent and former small business owner. Corey is a bar owner and Navy veteran. He was the Republican nominee against Murphy in 2018 and also challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson in the 1st Congressional District in 2012, 2014 and 2016. In 2020, he was the Republican nominee for a state Senate seat. Smith received a majority of votes from delegates to the state convention in May, but Corey …