Republicans will wage primary in Fourth Congressional District

(This story will be updated.)

They had coffee together in Stamford in the first step in an 11-week jaunt to determine who will face the incumbent this fall.

Fourth Congressional District Republican convention nominee Bob MacGuffie has waged an aggressive campaign and even posted a billboard criticizing Democratic incumbent Jim Himes's undergraduate thesis at Harvard. If elected, he said he would become a member of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus, which has sought to lower the federal debt.

Michael Goldstein placed second at the convention, as MacGuffie tallied 71 delegates to 63 for Goldstein oi the second ballot. MacGuffie had the most delegates in a three-way tussle, which included former state Senate candidate Daniel Miressi of Norwalk, on the first ballot. However, he did not have the majority needed to be endorsed.

Goldstein has confirmed to Patch.com that he will seek a primary and plans to soon distribute a new release. MacGuffie said Goldstein told him during their Friday, May 24, meeting that he had already filed the campaign papers.

Goldstein collected more than 2,400 petition signatures two years ago to force a primary, which he lost to convention nominee Jayme Stevenson, the former First Selectman of Darien.

“I don't understand why two conservatives should be running against each other,” said MacGuffie. "He has lost three conventions [dating to 2020] and a primary."

“I think this is about the best prepared person who can make the most aggressive case against Himes,” MacGuffie said regarding the August 13 primary.

Goldstein told Patch.com after the convention eon Monday night, May 20, that he felt he was better versed on the issues than MacGuffie. He also commented that a primary could generate more attention for the eventual nominee.

MacGuffie, a former financial executive from Fairfield, has criticized Himes many times while speaking at the forums that the congressman has held in the district since being elected in 2008.

Goldstein, a physician and attorney, was elected last year to the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting.

He has said that he is committed to lowering health care costs, which have soared in recent years.

Himes has garnered about 60 percent of the vote in recent elections. Reports have indicated that he is a leader in the Democratic caucus on financial services issues. He has said that former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) asked him in 2009, when Himes had just arrived to Congress, to help write the historic Dodd-Frank legislation to address the Wall Street crisis.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Greenwich) and Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) have said some of the big banks were overleveraged as much as 40 to 1. Democratic former President Bill Clinton has stated that they should not be overleveraged beyond a 14 to 1 ratio.

MacGuffie has criticized Himes's fiscal record, saying that the federal debt has gone from $9 trillion to $34 trillion since he took office more than 15 years ago.

MacGuffie said that Goldstein apparently has strength in Stamford and Greenwich, which are the second and fourth largest populations in the district.

"However, I have allies in all 17 towns," he said. "People know me for being around from my work with the Tea Party."