Primary: Republican John McKinney Expects Victory Tuesday Night

As the results pour in from Tuesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary, state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney expects to be savoring the taste of victory at the Local Kitchen Restaurant on Mill Plain Road in Fairfield.

McKinney told Patch that he is confident that he will be victorious over Tom Foley, who received the party’s endorsement at the state convention in May, because he offers “real change” to fix the state’s woes and gives Republicans the best chance of unseating Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

“Republicans want real change and honest leadership,” McKinney said. “State government is broken and we need a team that will focus on changing the way the state does business. Change starts with reversing what Dan Malloy has done to the state budget. Adding over $3 billion to the state budget since taking office, Malloy has given us the highest tax increase in the history of the state and left us with a projected $2.8 billion projected deficit. We need to start by seeking what we can afford, not what we want to spend.

“My opponent Tom Foley has said he will not cut spending, I will. My opponent has said he will not open the state employee contracts for reasonable concessions, I will. Tom Foley has been described by three major newspaper editorial boards as having no plan for how to control state spending. I have introduced a plan that will balance next year’s budget with specific spending reductions and then eliminate the income tax for people making less than $75,000 in the second year. This will help over 1 million taxpayers and hundreds of thousands of middle class families as well as people on a fixed income, like seniors and others living off their retirement savings and pensions.”

In order to fund the tax break, which would total $746 million, McKinney would lay off middle-management positions in state government, force concessions from state unions and end the Earned Income Tax Credit for Connecticut’s poorest residents, among other things, according to the Connecticut Post. McKinney also said he plans to cut more than $1.4 billion from the $19 billion state budget, the Post reports.

McKinney said that he has been battling Malloy’s policies for the past three years and that would also give him an edge over Foley, a Greenwich businessman who ran against Malloy in the 2010 election and lost by 6,404 votes, in the November election.

“I have opposed his tax increases, opposed his raiding the Transportation Fund, fought against his empty promises like the ill-fated $55 rebates,” McKinney said. “Dan Malloy will have no chance but to focus on the issues we care about — like spending, taxes and the economy if I am his opponent. He will not be able to shift the focus to other issues or avoid the central debate about getting Connecticut back on the right track.”

McKinney said he also offers another path to victory for the Republicans – the ability to get votes from Independent and unaffiliated voters in the general election.

“I am a fiscal conservative who understands government is necessary, but must be accountable to the taxpayers,” McKinney said. “I am a moderate on social issues, someone who takes the time to listen and has the compassion for people that is the mark of all good leaders. I believe that I can appeal better to unaffiliated and Independent voters than anyone in this race.”

One area where McKinney has worked with Malloy is in the gun control debate. McKinney, who represents Newtown where 20 children and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a lone gunman with an assault rifle, voted for the strict reform package that followed the tragedy.

McKinney recently received an F grade in the National Rifle Association’s PAC’s scorecard for primary candidates while Foley received a B-.

“As the only State Senator who represents Newtown, I was proud to support HB1160 and to help assure that it was a balanced piece of legislation that would address every aspect of the problem, including doing more in the area of mental health,” McKinney said. “But honestly, this primary and this upcoming general election campaign is about fixing our broken state government, getting our fiscal house in order and starting to grow our economy again. Those are the issues we have focused on and will continue to talk about because those are the issues we all care about most.”

McKinney recently received the endorsements of the Hartford Courant, The Day of New London and the New Haven Register.

“I am humbled by and grateful for the recognition I have received from the leading newspapers in our state,” McKinney said. “Those endorsements detail exactly what we have been talking with voters about and it is especially gratifying to know that our message resonates. I take such endorsements seriously and would work hard to live up to the expectations of those who support me in the press and across the state.”

Polls statewide will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

McKinney, who lives in Fairfield with his three children, is expecting to celebrate a victory with his family and Lt. Governor candidate Dave Walker Tuesday night at the Local Kitchen.

“We believe that we have run an honest, focused, and serious campaign that centers on the issues that are important to Republicans in this primary,” McKinney said. “We are energized by the response we have been getting and we are ready to begin the effort to defeat Dan Malloy in the fall.”