The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Party insiders back state Republican chairman
After several days of highprofile Republicans calling for state party chairman J.R. Romano to resign, the 72-member body that, at the end of the day, issues his paycheck, made no effort to remove him from his role.
A person who attended the routine virtual meeting of the Republican State Central Committee Tuesday night said support for Romano and Vice Chairwoman Sue Hatfield was high among those in attendance, despite the public fallout over the arrest of 2nd Congressional District candidate Thomas Gilmer on the eve of the Aug. 11 primary.
In fact, no one attacked Romano at all, said the person, who does not speak for the party and requested anonymity.
Romano said previously, and again Wednesday, that he has no intention of stepping down despite widespread calls for him to do so. He confirmed there was no effort Tuesday night to remove him from his position.
He said the party did discuss at length ways to prevent similar incidents in the future, including developing a candidate questionnaire to better help the party vet candidates prior to making endorsements.
Just hours before the meeting, Gilmer lost the primary to his opponent, Justin Anderson, in a recount — resolving at least one outstanding issue for the embattled minority party as it attempts to build momentum toward November.
Anderson apparently had a copy in May of a video that allegedly shows Gilmer committing a domestic assault. He told Romano about it and Romano suggested he take it to police, both men told Hearst Media.
Many, notably House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, have called on Romano to resign over his handling of the incident, saying that if he knew about the video, he should have brought it to police and done something to remove Gilmer from the race.
But while Klarides may be one of the two top Republicans in the state legislature and a likely candidate for governor in 2022, she has no say in the actions of the state central committee, which is largely made up of non-elected party activists.
Romano acknowledged that a vetting questionnaire filled out by candidates likely would not have weeded out Gilmer, who had no criminal record prior to his arrest.
The Republican party has struggled to attract candidates in blue Connecticut with President Donald J. Trump at the top of the ballot.
Anderson, a lieutenant colonol in the Connecticut National Guard and retired prison officer, will be the party’s nominee against the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Joe Courtney, who has represented the district since 2007.
Romano has not publicly stated whether he will attend the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., next week. He now faces the daunting task of drawing up support for downballot Republicans vying for seats in the state legislature.