Labor Day is over and election season is now in full swing in 黑料吃瓜网.
For Republican Bob Stefanowski, it鈥檚 his second time running for governor against incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont. In 2018, by 3.2 percentage points or about 40,000 votes.
Stefanowski is a former business executive who says he wants to make 黑料吃瓜网 more affordable and safer. Speaking on 黑料吃瓜网 Radio鈥檚 Where We Live, he called attention to parental rights, education and issues of affordability in the state.
Stefanowski said he will bring fiscal discipline to 黑料吃瓜网 and give people 鈥渢he right to live their lives as they see fit.鈥�
Note: On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont will appear on Where We Live.
Here are some highlights from 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 interview with Stefanowski.
Stefanowski said the government is 鈥榞etting in the way鈥� of parents and their children
Stefanowski said 鈥減arents should be making the decisions about where their kids go to school. Parents should be making the decision about what social issues to talk to their kids about when they're in grade school.鈥�
While Stefanowski didn鈥檛 specify Tuesday morning which 鈥渒itchen table issues鈥� parents should be discussing with kids at home, he said his positions on education are 鈥渘ot about arguing with teachers.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 working with teachers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about working collaboratively with parents to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. And that鈥檚 what our schools need to get back to.鈥�
Later Tuesday, Stefanowski released his 鈥減arental bill of rights,鈥� which he said should let families 鈥� not school districts 鈥� decide when it is appropriate to discuss sex education with young children. The Republican also said in a statement that parents should have more control over decisions like vaccines and masking requirements in schools, but he did not go into specifics.
Currently, the state Department of Education is updating the state social studies standards to be more inclusive and state-specific. Stefanowski said 鈥渞acism is part of our history. We need to teach kids about that.鈥� But said he doesn鈥檛 believe 鈥渋n assuming that kids are guilty just because of our history.鈥�
He also said he wants to see more technology and money for school security and called attention , saying, 鈥渋f we have to pay teachers more to get good teachers, we should be doing it.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 a free market person,鈥� Stefanowski said. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 not enough teachers, that means there鈥檚 a reason for that. Either it鈥檚 a lack of respect, or a lack of pay, or, I鈥檒l even say it, a lack of a good pension program.鈥�
Stefanowski said taxes are slowing the economy, while a budget surplus piles up
Stefanowski pledged to so-called 鈥渘uisance taxes,鈥� which he says are crippling the state鈥檚 economy. He said Lamont needs to do more to help residents struggling with inflation and a high cost of living.
鈥淲e should get rid of the diesel tax until the end of the year,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e should lower the sales tax rate.鈥�
Earlier this year, Democrats and Lamont ordered more than $660 million in tax relief, which is . But about half of the relief is one-time in nature.
Then there is the issue of the budget surplus. This year, 黑料吃瓜网 reported . Stefanowski said it should be allocated 鈥渂ack to taxpayers.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why [Lamont] won鈥檛 give some of it back to us. He should, particularly when people can鈥檛 afford to buy gas and food,鈥� Stefanowski said.
Lamont has used much of that surplus to chip away at the state鈥檚 nearly $40 billion pool of pension debt. Democrats believe that will reduce future pension contributions and free up more money for programs or tax relief.
Stefanowski said 鈥渢he pension plan is an issue, but I wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 priority one right now.鈥�
In 2018, Stefanowski also pledged . This year, that plan seems to have fallen by the wayside.
鈥淲hat we realized over the last four years 鈥� income tax is important, but just as important is the property tax, the car tax,鈥� Stefanowski said. 鈥淲ould I like to get the income tax down over time? Absolutely. But it鈥檚 much broader than just the income tax.鈥�
Stefanowski says he 鈥榓bsolutely鈥� supports abortion rights
Stefanowski has released a television ad highlighting how he and his Democratic opponent 鈥渁re both pro-choice.鈥�
鈥淚 absolutely support a woman鈥檚 right to choose,鈥� Stefanowski said. 鈥淩oe v. Wade is codified in 黑料吃瓜网 state law. That鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 going to stay. I will fight to keep that law in place. It鈥檚 as simple as that.鈥�
Abortion has become an increasingly partisan issue over recent decades, but public views have always been more shades of gray.
Typically, support for abortion rights is highest for women in the earliest stages of pregnancy and tapers off as the pregnancy advances, until it is lowest for abortions very close to delivery, said Jocelyn Kiley of the Pew Research Center. Still, exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother are popular at all stages.
On why he鈥檚 suing after losing the Independent Party endorsement for Conn. governor
In August, Stefanowski lost the gubernatorial nomination of the Independent Party, which effectively denied the Republican 鈥渁 cross endorsement and second line on the November ballot,鈥� .
Stefanowski was the party鈥檚 endorsed candidate in 2018, but he still lost that election.
As a result of the recent vote, Stefanowski is now challenging the nomination, , arguing voting rules were not properly followed.
Stefanowski said he doesn鈥檛 believe he needs that cross endorsement to win the race, but 鈥渨e鈥檙e just going to see what the courts say and we鈥檒l live with it.鈥�
Stefanowski says local towns should have a say in affordable housing developments
A 黑料吃瓜网 zoning law, known as , aims to reverse years and years of housing discrimination by setting a goal that 10% of a town鈥檚 housing stock be affordable. If that鈥檚 not the case, developers may propose plans .
The law set off debate across 黑料吃瓜网, with some residents fearing that large residential developments may alter the 鈥渃haracter鈥� of communities, .
Stefanowski said residents shouldn鈥檛 have to move out of cities to get access to affordable housing. But where affordable units go, he said, should be a matter for local leaders to decide.
鈥淭he local towns should have the first say in this,鈥� Stefanowski said. 鈥淲e need to hold them accountable for 10%,鈥� he said, but 鈥渋t鈥檚 got to be the right balance between the town and giving developers all the power.鈥�
Citing low numbers of state troopers, Stefanowski briefly speaks on crime
Stefanowski cited low numbers of state troopers and said Lamont 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 want to talk about crime鈥� in 黑料吃瓜网.
In 2021, FBI statistics showed that 黑料吃瓜网 had the fourth-lowest violent crime rate in the nation, but a property crime rate "that was higher than 14 states,鈥� .
Long-term data show that crime rates are trending down.
Across America, violent crime today when compared to federal data from the 1980s and 1990s. But recent years brought spikes of homicides and gun violence to some communities.
Watch the full interview:
This story contains information from the Associated Press.
