Republican candidate for governor in Connecticut Tim Herbst says he is looking to “change the culture,” a challenge for which the leading family and faith group in his state says he already has a proven record.
In an interview with Breitbart News, Herbst – a former First Selectman from Trumbull, Connecticut – said that, as governor, he will need to restore “fiscal sanity” in Connecticut, a feat that “really requires the governor to change the culture.”
“I’m the only candidate on the Republican side that has demonstrated the chops to take on the Hartford insiders, that has been unabashed and unafraid in calling out people in both parties when necessary, and who has said he is completely committed to dismantling the status quo – that’s what sets me apart from the rest,” Herbst said, referring to his four Republican opponents in the state’s primary election on August 14.
The political action committee affiliated with Family Institute of Connecticut (FIC) says it has endorsed Herbst for this very reason when it comes to issues related to life and religious freedom.
“Herbst will do more to defend faith, family and freedom in Connecticut than any other candidate running for our state’s highest office,” FIC stated in its endorsement announcement. “As governor, Tim Herbst will take actions that will make Connecticut a state where families thrive, life is cherished, religious freedom is secure, and faith is honored — never demonized.”
FIC observed Herbst was the first candidate for governor to speak out against outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy’s nomination of Andrew McDonald for chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court.
“Herbst faced outrageous partisan attacks for that position and never backed down,” FIC noted, adding:
McDonald had a history of partisanship and contempt for the rights of religious institutions. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Andrew McDonald introduced legislation to strip Connecticut’s Catholic bishops and priests of financial authority over their parishes and replace it with a different structure mandated by the state — a clear violation of the First Amendment.
McDonald’s nomination was ultimately voted down by a bipartisan majority, thanks in large part to Herbst’s bold leadership. But the radical activist agenda McDonald represents is alive and well among many insiders in Hartford.
“There were very serious questions regarding Justice McDonald’s history of partisanship and the role of his politics in his decision-making on the bench,” Herbst said in response to FIC PAC’s endorsement. “Connecticut voters can be confident that I will nominate highly qualified judges who will uphold the law — not legislate from the bench according to the dictates of their personal politics.”
Mainstream media headlined the announcement of Democrat’s Malloy’s nomination of McDonald by focusing on the fact that he would be the “first openly gay” state Supreme Court Chief Justice.
“I was the first Republican to say that having him as the chief justice – given his proven streak of judicial activism and his extremism – would be dangerous to the mainstream of Connecticut,” Herbst told Breitbart News. “And, I think because of our leadership on that issue, that’s why he was defeated in the state senate.”
Malloy blamed a “homophobic” GOP for voting down McDonald.
“I personally would not vote for anyone who voted against Justice McDonald,” Malloy said, reported the CT Mirror. “And I think anyone who has a gay friend, or child, or relative, should think twice about supporting anyone who voted against Justice McDonald.”
Herbst said FIC “has recognized that actions speak louder than words, and I’ve shown by way of my actions that I am not afraid to take on these issues that need to be taken on, and they recognize I’ll be a governor who will be honest and people are going to know exactly where I stand.”
“Agree with me or disagree with me, they’re going to know exactly where I stand,” the GOP candidate said.
FIC PAC said its endorsement of Herbst is “rooted in personal liberty.”
“We want to protect our Constitutional rights to practice our faith and to raise our children as we see fit, free from government interference,” the group asserted. “Tim Herbst will fight for the freedom and liberty of all Connecticut residents. Indeed, he is one of the very few in the CT GOP who can be trusted to fight for personal freedom and a judiciary free from partisan influences.”
Herbst said he is willing to take on Connecticut’s law that allows young girls to obtain an abortion without parental consent.
“If you look at our parental notification and parental consent laws, and you compare them to states that are even ‘bluer’ and more liberal than us – like Massachusetts – we clearly can do a better job with respect to parental consent and parental notification,” he said.
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