Riddle vows to take the gloves off in campaign
GREENWICH — South Norwalk resident Jonathan Riddle is trying to do what Republicans have failed to do for the past decade: get Jim Himes out of Congress.
Riddle, 31, says he is confident he will succeed in defeating Himes, a sixterm Democrat who is running for reelection in Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District.
“Traditional Republicans and conservatives, we play nice,” Riddle said. “We
talk in facts and rational thoughts. We don’t go after the conjecture that Democrats use in a political environment. You really need to take the gloves off and make this a bare-knuckle boxing match. You need to take it to them and highlight how Jim Himes has failed as a congressman.”
Saying voters “are ready for a change,” Riddle said he has found excitement and energy for his candidacy on the campaign trail. But no Connecticut Republican has been elected to Congress since 2006, and there could be blowback over the Republican ticket led by President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in Connecticut.
Riddle said he “couldn’t care less” who voters support for president. What matters to residents is who represents them in Hartford and in Washington. His focus, Riddle said, is not on Trump but on running his own race and on helping elect Republicans to the state legislature.
This is Riddle’s first run for office; he said he was inspired by the current political landscape.
“I’m tired of what has transpired in D.C. on both sides of the aisle and how partisan politics have become,” he said. “I just couldn’t stomach sitting on the sidelines anymore while not seeing any representation in Connecticut for conservatives. I looked at my generation and what’s happening with education and the illiteracy of history. I didn’t see anyone strong enough to carry the torch forward for my generation to bring change to D.C. and I decided to step up.”
But Riddle is also quick to tie Himes to what he called “socialist policies” and accuse him of lying about having moderate views. Also, Riddle repeatedly said Himes is a member of the “Democrat Party,” a misstatement of the party’s name that Trump often uses against opponents.
“What I mean by divisive is that the politicians we elect right now are unwilling to work together,” Riddle said in explaining his point of view. “When you look at major bills that have been brought to the floor, both in the House and Senate, like the new stimulus package, there’s an impasse because no one wants to discuss working for the American people. … If you look at the party system right now, no one is stepping across the aisle properly to work together for the American people. It’s all about what each party wants and there’s no give and take.”
Power of persuasion
A homeowner in Connecticut for the last four years, Riddle is a director at Altium Wealth Management, a financial consulting firm in Purchase, N.Y.
If elected, Riddle said he believes Democrats in the House would work with him because he is “very rational and knows how to compromise” and is also “very good at the power of persuasion.”
Saying “Connecticut is failing” and that he doesn’t want it to become California with its “rolling blackouts and socialist policies” Riddle said Himes has not done enough to spur an economic recovery and bring back jobs that have been lost to other states.
Within his first 100 days, Riddle said he would introduce a bill that would eliminate the common core curriculum, which he called a “huge failure in our school system that is causing the dumbing down of America.” That bill would also push school choice, which Riddle said would be “life-changing” for students in Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk.
Infrastructure would also be a key focus, Riddle said. He said it was “pathetic” that the state bought new train cars without upgrading the tracks. Improving the rail system and the state’s roads, would create a better quality of life, he said.
“We can return this state to its glory, where it was one of the best states to live in and raise your kids,” Riddle said.
Looking at health care, Riddle called the Affordable Care Act a “massive f ailure” that is “starting to crumble under its own weight,” with people losing access to doctors and paying rising premiums. Instead, there should be a “free market exchange” allowing insurance companies to compete and offer better prices, he said.
First run for office
Many, including Republican leaders in Norwalk, have asked him why he didn’t seek a seat in the state legislature for his first run for office, Riddle said. But he said with the inefficiency he has seen in Hartford, he wanted to make a bigger impact.
“If I run and win for state representative, I would be a small fish in a big pond and have little impact,” Riddle said. “I see Jim Himes as a vulnerable candidate. Nobody has ever gone after him in an aggressive manner and run against his policies and called him out for the liar he is. He is a fake moderate and is actually as progressive as they come.
“This is one of only five congressional seats in Connecticut and I can be a big fish in a little pond and have a lot of influence over 17 towns as opposed to a state rep that covers one or two towns,” he said.
The 4th Congressional District includes Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, part of Shelton, Stamford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton.
In Congress, seniority is vital in getting good committee assignments and advancing legislation. But Riddle said he would meet the challenges as a newcomer and do anything he had to go get his issues heard.
“Seniority does seem to be something held to a higher regard rather than the merits of an idea, and I just completely, wholeheartedly disagree with that,” Riddle said. “I’m going to make my voice known when I’m there.
“Good ideas should not be hampered and if they don’t take me seriously, I’m going to let the public know and utilize public opinion to get things done. I’m not going to be some stooge of the Republican Party and either step in line or get out of line,” he said. “I’m going to make it known I’m not controlled by the Republican Party. I am controlled by the people of the Fourth Congressional District.”