Former House GOP leader Klarides running against U.S. Sen. Blumenthal; drops out of governor’s race

In a surprising turnaround, former House Republican leader Themis Klarides dropped out of the race for governor Sunday and is instead running for the U.S. Senate.

Both Republicans and Democrats have been discussing the possibility for the past week, but Klarides avoided interviews in recent days so that she could make her announcement exclusively on a television news show with a large audience of political insiders.

Klarides said she changed her mind after constantly hearing from voters about the gridlock and dysfunction in Washington, D.C. that she said Blumenthal has not done enough to improve.

“Is he just going to get a pass?’' Klarides asked television host Dennis House of Blumenthal. “He needs to explain to people why he votes with Democrats almost 100% of the time. ... You see him outside throwing rocks at the building - being partisan and political. ... What I see is not enough compromise.’'

In a deep blue state, Republicans have not won the Senate race since Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. in 1982 as the seat has been dominated by major Democratic leaders such as Chris Dodd, Joe Lieberman, Chris Murphy, and Blumenthal.

“My brand of Republicanism is what Connecticut wants,’' Klarides said.

When asked about former President Donald Trump, Klarides said, “My focus is completely Connecticut.’'

With Republican Bob Stefanowski saying that he will spend $10 million to battle against Gov. Ned Lamont, some political insiders said that the high total might scare Klarides out of the governor’s race.

But Klarides, 56, said in a text message that she was not concerned about the size of Stefanowski’s campaign war chest. Instead, she will now be involved in a big-money race against U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, one of the state’s best-known politicians for the past 30 years. After raising money at a steady pace, Blumenthal had a daunting $6.9 million cash on hand as of the most recent public filing reports.

The entrance of Klarides immediately gave Republicans a top-tier candidate against Blumenthal, a Democrat who was facing three lesser-known Republican candidates who have never held major offices.

Republican supporters were energized by an outspoken, hard-charging woman with 22 years of experience in the state legislature, including six years as House Republican leader. Known as a collaborator who held her caucus together, Klarides also had a no-nonsense style that included blunt criticisms of Lamont at times.

“She’s a unique individual,’' said former House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk. “She would be a phenomenal senator. She calls it like she sees it. You know where she stands. That’s for sure. Very common-sense, very direct, take-charge type of person.’'

Blumenthal defeated Linda McMahon and her $50 million campaign warchest in 2010, but Cafero said that Klarides brings a different skillset with 22 years of deep knowledge of Connecticut government and political connections across the state.

“Dick Blumenthal has never run against a person who has the knowledge and the breadth of experience in government and campaigning as Themis does,’' Cafero said. “Linda had money, but Themis has, most importantly, the experience. She knows how to deal with the press, with constituents. She knows town committees. She knows delegates. She knows all those things. She can talk the talk. She has walked the walk.’'

Cafero added, “He’s not going to know how to handle her. Let me put it this way. He never had an opponent like Themis Klarides.’'

Blumenthal, who turns 76 in February, declined to comment when asked about Klarides.

“My focus is on doing my job and working for the people of Connecticut,’’ Blumenthal said in an interview. “There will be plenty of time for politics later in the year.’’

Klarides has already spent nearly $400,000 of her own money as she explored the governor’s race before switching to the Senate race.

The other Republicans who have been talking about challenging Blumenthal include immigration attorney Peter Lumaj, who has lost three races for statewide office; Simsbury landscaper and Trump supporter Robert Hyde, and Norwalk resident John Flynn, a former portfolio manager who holds an MBA in finance and lost two races for the state House of Representatives in 2018 and 2020 by at least 50 percentage points each time.

Another potential candidate is Greenwich resident Leora Levy, a major fundraiser and Republican National Committee member who was nominated as ambassador to Chile by Trump but was not confirmed by the time Trump left office. A source close to Levy said she is focusing on the battle against Blumenthal and not against U.S. Rep. Jim Himes in the 4th Congressional district.

Her supporters “like that she’s a conservative with a national network and a national policy outlook,’' the supporter said. “None of the calls she’s received have been contingent on someone else running or not running for the Republican nomination. She’s been blown away by the offering of support and is seriously considering entering the race.’'

With the party convention less than four months away on May 7, Republicans are far behind Blumenthal in the fundraising race. Blumenthal has been fundraising online on a steady basis for months as Republicans have been working behind the scenes to see who would challenge the incumbent.

Besides a large campaign war chest, Blumenthal has several advantages, including high name recognition and approval ratings in a blue state where he has already won two races for U.S. Senate, five races for state attorney general and three for state legislature earlier in his career.

The switch in plans by Klarides was first disclosed by Hartford Courant columnist Kevin F. Rennie, a former state senator, in his blog and column.

While some Republicans are excited about Klarides’s chances, Democrats say Blumenthal has too much campaign money and too much popularity in polls.

Longtime Democratic political operative Matthew J. Hennessy of Hartford said he expects that President Donald J. Trump, who has clashed with Blumenthal in the past, could surface in the race that he said that Klarides is “definitely going to lose’' in November.

“Trump would put some of his support behind Themis to raise money across the country - just to mess with Blumenthal,’' Hennessy said. “Trump can’t help himself to take a shot at Blumenthal.’'

At the same time, Klarides could find herself on the Fox News Channel and other conservative outlets because Republicans are no fans of the Democratic incumbent who serves on the judiciary committee and often appears on national television.

“If she’s taking shots at Blumenthal, she’ll get invited on Tucker Carlson on Fox - probably more than a few times,’' Hennessy predicted. “She wouldn’t be on Fox if she was running against Stefanowski.’'

Politics is a family tradition for Klarides. In 2017, she and her sister, Nicole, became the first two sisters to serve simultaneously in the legislature in Connecticut history.

It was Themis who first entered public service when she ran for the legislature in 1998. As the House Republican leader, she became the highest-ranking woman in the legislature and one of the top politicians in the state.

“My mother and all the Klarides women were just strong, independent women,” Nicole Klarides-Ditria recalled. “My mother always said to us, as far back as I can remember, that ‘You can do whatever you want. You don’t need someone to hold you back and tell you you can’t do it. Whatever it is you want to do, we will always support you. We will be there by your side, and you can do it.’”

Through the years, Themis often encouraged her younger sister to enter public life, but the moves were not immediate. The sisters are so close that they talk almost every day — and often multiple times a day by telephone or text.

They served together for four years until Klarides decided in 2020 not to seek re-election to her legislative seat. At that time, she left the door open for higher office. Many supporters thought she would end up running against Lamont, but now her opponent will be Blumenthal.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com