HARTFORD, Conn. — In the battle for U.S. Senate, Leora Levy upset GOP-endorsed Themis Klarides for the Republican nomination Tuesday.
Levy will face Democrat incumbent Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) in the general election in November.
Many are pointing to former president Donald Trump's endorsement of Levy as the catalyst of her victory.
Trump’s stamp of approval came just four days before the primary, but was enough time to energize Republican voters.
Levy also credits Monday night’s FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate, saying it pushed Connecticut Republicans to turn out to the polls.
“I want to congratulate everybody in that beautiful room and everybody in the state,” Trump said on a phone call with Levy Tuesday night.
“I promised to bring national attention to this race,” Levy said. “The country knows that Connecticut is in play and that Connecticut matters.”
Levy secured the primary win with 51% of the vote, beating Klarides by 11%.
“It does make you wonder what's happening to the Republican party here in the state of Connecticut,” said Gary Rose, Ph.D., professor at Sacred Heart University.
Levy’s Trump-backed win could illustrate a farther right shift in the state GOP–Connecticut Republicans are historically more moderate–but Levy says residents’ views are in-line with hers.
“I have no concerns,” she said. “It doesn't matter whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, unaffiliated or independent.”
Experts say her more conservative views could be a problem come the General Election.
“There are a good number of moderate Republicans that want nothing to do with Donald Trump,” Rose said. “You have the large block of unaffiliated voters in Connecticut.”
The challenge for Levy now will be to win over those independent voters.
“That's gonna be hard,” said Rose. “If they do come to her campaign, it could very well be due to attack ads against Blumenthal, as opposed to, you know, really presenting her own views.”
In a statement, Blumenthal’s team wrote” “Leora Levy is Donald Trump’s choice. Dick Blumenthal is Connecticut’s Senator. Leora Levy is way outside the Connecticut mainstream. She opposes a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. She opposes common sense gun safety measures. And she supports calling January 6th ‘legitimate political discourse.’ The contrast with Senator Blumenthal could not be more clear.”
“I am not a career politician. I am a career American,” Levy said. “I wake up every morning thanking God that I am an American woman here in America”
The focus now turns to November and if Trump’s endorsement could carry her all the way to Washington.
“This is not a trump state,” Rose added. “It's going to be difficult for Levy to really kind of manage that issue.”
He says it’s still too early to draw any general conclusions about this race, as turnout Tuesday was low. Unofficial results show just over 20% of Republicans actually voting.
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