MacGuffie declares Freedom Caucus platform will win in Fourth District

By Scott Benjamin

FAIRFIELD – Bob MacGuffie says Connecticut Republicans are interested in adopting a new formula.

MacGuffie, a former financial executive from Fairfield, cleared the first hurdle on Monday night, May 20, toward achieving a role that he may have been auditioning for since he went to U.S. Rep. Jim Himes’ (D-4) initial congressional town meeting 15 years ago and raised objections to the congressman’s voting record as the Tea Party Movement was starting.

On the second ballot, he secured the nomination with 52.9 percent of the delegates at the Fourth Congressional District Republican Convention at Ludlowe High School.

MacGuffie amassed 71 delegates to 63 for Michael Goldstein, a member of the Greenwich Representative Meeting, who is a physician and attorney. Two years ago, Goldstein petitioned to force an August primary for the nomination after Darien former First Selectman Jayme Stevenson secured the convention endorsement. She easily prevailed in the primary.

Daniel Miressi of Norwalk, a hockey coach who had run for the state Senate two years ago, had just 13 delegates on the first ballot, and as the low vote-getter, according to the rules, didn’t advance to the second ballot.

MacGuffie had the most delegates on the first ballot but fell short of the majority needed to garner the nomination.

Republicans had won every election in the district from 1968 through 2006. Himes has been annexing about 60 percent of the vote in the recent elections.

The Fourth District stretches through 17 municipalities from Greenwich to Oxford, encompassing Connecticut’s two largest cities – Bridgeport and Stamford.

For generations, the GOP model in Connecticut was to be a Gypsy Moth, as they were called during the Reagan Administration, or a RINO (Republican In Name Only) during the W. Bush White House. You had to straddle the middle.

More or less, that was the formula that Chris Shays (R-4), Rob Simmons (R-2) and Nancy Johnson (R-5) employed 20 years ago when the Republicans held a majority in Connecticut’s five-member U.S. House delegation.

MacGuffie has pledged, if elected, to become a member of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus, which, among other things, took the lead in ousting U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall over his efforts to continue to raise the federal debt ceiling.

In an interview with Patch.com, MacGuffie declared, “After seven go-arounds [for re-election] with Jim Himes and skirmishing to the middle, people have now said let’s give Mr. Himes a fight. I’m a fighter.”

“The Freedom Caucus is standing up for the fundamental principles of this country and what happens is the media keeps branding them as extremists," he added. "They’re not. There is nothing extreme about securing the border, balancing the budget and letting Americans live their lives. I think that message is resonating with enough delegates to win.”

On the results, Goldstein said, “I think people think that he is better at attacking Jim Himes, but I am better with the issues.”

In a fervent 10-minute acceptance speech, MacGuffie exclaimed that Himes represents “Washington, D.C,” and not the interests of the district. He accused the progressive Democrats of being aided by a “barrage of propaganda” and pledged to “fight against global trade.”

Sacred Heart University Professor Gary Rose, who wrote a book in 2011 on the Fourth District, told Patch.com last year that none of Himes’s previous opponents have had such a “bare-knuckle” approach as MacGuffie's attacks.

The congressman was re-nominated on May 13 in Norwalk at the Democratic convention.

With well more than the 15 percent of the delegates needed to force a primary, will Goldstein take that step?

Minutes after MacGuffie’s acceptance speech, the two candidates shook hands.

“This many not be over,” said Goldstein. “We should talk.”

MacGuffie replied, “Let’s have coffee together.”

In an interview with Patch.com, Goldstein said he would be making a decision within a week regarding a primary on August 13.

“I’m going to take a deep breath and talk to my team and decide on my strategy and what we’ve going to do. It is close enough that a primary is definitely in the realm of possibilities.”

Would a primary benefit the Republicans?

Goldstein commented, “I think a primary is a very good thing. There number of people who vote here is relatively small. Bringing it to the people is a good idea. Primaries also attract attention.”

He said he is in a stronger position than two years ago when he had to collect petition signatures at the Greenwich land fill and the parking lot a Home Depot to get on the ballot.

MacGuffie was less enthusiastic about a primary.

“Nobody wants to go through another contest within the Republican Party,” he exclaimed. “I think it depends on how you run it.”

MacGuffie said he would seek to turn out the Republican base and “will not be out there bad-mouthing my opponent.”

He said he was aided at the convention by his entry into the race in March of last year, about nine months before Goldstein formally announced that he would again seek the seat.

MacGuffie said he had “a foot print” from his years of speaking to Republican Town Committees as a leader of the Tea Party in Connecticut, and he also became acquainted “with new people” in the party through the Fourth District.

“I have allies in very town,” he exclaimed.

Outside the high school, there were signs, which appeared to be from earlier campaigns, calling on voters to “Heave Himes.”

On the issues, MacGuffie and Goldstein each said they support extending the broad tax cut signed by Republican former President Donald Trump in 2017. It is scheduled to expire next year.

Lael Brainard, the director of Democratic President Joe Biden’s National Economic Council, has proposed increasing taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations to maintain the Trump tax cut for the middle class beyond 2025.

MacGuffie said elected officials should be concerned about the ultra-wealthy “advantaging themselves. I think the system has to be fair.”

He said the Trump tax cut should be continued for the middle class, noting that there was positive feedback in January 2018, just a month after the former president signed the tax cut.

Remarked Goldstein, “Raising taxes never works. It drives businesses out. Any time you raise taxes the revenues go down. Also, the wealthy have the best tax lawyers.”