Republican Peter Lumaj is running to represent Connecticut in the U.S. Senate and has unsuccessfully run three times for statewide office.

What is Peter Lumaj’s background?

Lumaj, 55, of Fairfield, is running for statewide office for the fourth time in 10 years. He dropped out of a Senate race before the primary in 2012, launched a campaign as the GOP nominee for Secretary of State in 2014 and failed to qualify for a gubernatorial primary in 2018. .

With a master’s degree in law, Lumaj provides immigration services in New York, where he says he also invests in real estate with his family.

During the 2018 gubernatorial race, Lumaj told a Republican city committee that he had rejected an offer from the Trump administration to return to Albania as U.S. ambassador, a claim the administration has refused. to confirm or deny.

What is its position on major issues?

Lumaj is an opponent of abortion and has said he will not vote to codify reproductive rights into federal law!

He declined to say whether he would have voted for a gun safety bill passed by Congress in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which requires, among other things, enhanced vetting. history of gun buyers under 21 years of age.

Pressed for an answer on how he would have voted, he repeatedly brought up myriad aspects of gun control and crime, never really coming up with an answer.

“We need to tackle illegal firearms in this country,” he said. “And if there are mental illnesses and people issues there, we absolutely have to address those things. On the other hand, the second amendment is the second amendment. I believe in the second amendment. And the reason I believe in that is because my family was severely persecuted in the country because we didn’t have a second amendment.

Lumaj opposed granting permanent legal status to the 800,000 young adults living in legal limbo for a decade under DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Lumaj said he would support arming teachers, if trained.

What is his pitch to voters?

Lumaj is a fan of Trump and free enterprise who views opponent Leora Levy as a conservative poser, opponent Themis Klarides as an establishment Republican, and Blumenthal and the Democrats as threats to capitalism.

“I am a real conservative. I believe in God, family and country. I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the founding documents of this country,” Lumaj said. “I’m pro-life, I’m pro second amendment. And these are things that I bring to the table that no one else does.

What is his campaign style?

Lumaj blasted fellow GOP Senate candidates Themis Klarides and Leora Levy, as well as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

During the GOP primary debate in the Senate on July 26, Lumaj claimed to be the only true conservative. “I’m not afraid to be a Republican,” he said.

When Klarides suspended her active campaign to mourn the death of her 89-year-old mother, Lumaj urged an end to attacks on her – at least until after the funeral.

What did his GOP opponents say about him?

Klarides and Levy have largely ignored Lumaj, though Levy has suggested that, of herself and Lumaj, there’s only room for one in the primary.

During the debate, Klarides’ central argument was that Lumaj (and Levy) may be more conservative, but are ineligible in a state that last elected a Republican senator in 1982.

Mark Pazniokas is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/ ). Copyright 2022 © The Connecticut Mirror.