Republican Senate Candidates Face Off at Simsbury Forum

Five Republican candidates for U.S. Senate visited Simsbury Monday night to make the case that they would be the best chance for the Republican party to take the seat that Democrats have held for the past three decades.

U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon, Hartford attorney Brian K. Hill, Fairfield attorney Peter Lumaj, and Southbury attorney Kie Westby visited Eno Memorial Hall in Simsbury Monday night to tell voters why they were the party's best option for a Republican victory in November.

The League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford and the Simsbury Republican Women's Club teamed up to sponsor the forum and give voters an opportunity to hear the candidates take a stance on five questions about important issues facing the nation. The questions addressed education, social security, Medicare and Medicaid reform, Iran's nuclear weapons program, tax reform, and immigration.

Hill, Lumaj, and Westby each took aim at frontrunners McMahon and Shays saying the party needed to take a new approach. 

"We are on the decline as a nation because career politicians are destroying this country," Hill said.

The most recent Quinnipiac Poll shows McMahon leading Shays 52-41 percent but also suggests that Shays stands a better chance in a matchup against U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy where he trails the democratic candidate by only 1 percent.

"You know deep in your hearts that Linda McMahon is not electable," Lumaj said. "You know that Chris Shays is not a Republican."

McMahon chose to respond by reminding the crowd of her experience as an executive and a "job creator."

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

"Anyone else who's focused on anything but putting people back to work and getting our economy going again is just not getting it," McMahon said.

Shays fired back telling voters that he was the only candidate who has ever won an election.

"I've won 18 elections as a Republican," Shays said. "I'm the only one who can win up here. It's not my opinion, it's what the Quinnipiac Poll says."

Westby also joined in on the attack telling voters that career politicians have had their chance to make changes. "It requires a fresh face, a fresh approach," Westby said.

Hill explained that while the candidates were there to discuss the issues and explain their platforms, citizens first need to find a candidate that is electable.

"We need to have a candidate that can relate to all Connecticut voters," Hill said. "In order to win in this state we need to do better in our cities. This is where the Republican party keeps making the same mistakes over and over again."

The candidates will continue to work to bring their messages to Connecticut voters in the runup to the Republican party convention on May 18. Voters will be able to watch the full forum when it is aired on .