Republicans in Connecticut call for restaurant owner Matt Corey to run for revenge against Senator Chris Murphy

Matt Corey, a Connecticut entrepreneur who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House and Senate in the past, won the Republican nomination on Tuesday to run again against Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, saying he believes voters will be more receptive to his message.

Corey, who won the primary against Gerry Smith, the top elected official in the small city of Beacon Falls, said voters are fed up with high energy costs, inflation and job losses.

“It’s all about affordability and job opportunities. It’s pretty similar to what I said last time,” he said in a phone interview. “And all the policies coming out of Washington and the ones that Senator Murphy supports are not going to move Connecticut and businesses forward.”

Corey, who describes himself on his campaign signs as “the fighter (former President) Donald Trump needs by his side,” attributed his victory to hard work and strong volunteer support. Smith received the party’s endorsement at the state convention in May, but Corey got enough support from delegates to advance to the primary.

In a late-night post on the social platform X, Corey thanked Connecticut Republicans and added: “I am deeply honored by the trust you have placed in me.”

Connecticut voters have not elected a Republican to the Senate since the death of Lowell P. Weicker in 1982.

Murphy has a huge fundraising advantage: According to federal election records, he had $9.7 million in cash on hand for the general election as of June 30, compared to $32,000 for Corey as of July 24.

But Corey dismissed the senator’s generous war chest.

“Nine million dollars does not make you a great representative of Connecticut. It just makes you better able to hide your policies,” said Corey, who challenged Murphy to defend those policies in a debate.

Corey served in the Navy from 1982 to 1987 and was deployed to Beruit in 1983. As a small business owner, he owned a high-rise window cleaning business in the state for over 30 years. He also owned a pub in Hartford and now owns and operates a pub on a golf course in East Hartford.

Corey also ran and lost three times in the predominantly Democratic-dominated 1st Congressional District in the Hartford area, and ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state Senate in 2020.

The primary took place as the candidates had already been decided in the most competitive race for the state’s congressional seat: a rematch between Democrat Jahana Hayes, who is seeking a fourth term, and Republican George Logan, a former state senator.

Logan, who lost to Hayes in 2022 by about 2,000 of a quarter of a million votes cast, was nominated by the party leadership and did not have to run in a primary this year.

Also on Tuesday, Dr. Michael Goldstein, an ophthalmologist and attorney, won the Republican nomination in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District.

Goldstein, a Greenwich native who lost a primary in the same district two years ago, defeated Bob MacGuffie, a leader of the state’s Tea Party movement.

Goldstein will now challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who is seeking his ninth term, in November.

Goldstein says he will use his experience as a doctor to reduce medical costs. He has also promised to better secure the border, restore energy independence, improve the economy, protect parental rights and combat anti-Semitism.

Susan Haigh, The Associated Press