3 February—The Monitor may not be the first, but what the hell. Congratulations to Ned Lamont on being elected to his third term as Connecticut’s 89^th governor on 3 November 2026. That’s nine months away, if you haven’t noticed.

As Benjamin Franklin wrote to a French friend in 1789, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” But Ned Lamont’s reelection is pretty certain thanks to Donald Trump. It doesn’t really matter if Trump decides to actually stick his nose in the Connecticut state gubernatorial election this year by endorsing a candidate, because the three leading Republicans vying for the moribund party’s nomination have killed their chances of being elected by not distancing themselves from Trump, let alone denouncing him as he well deserves.

Simply put, Trump’s endorsement of anyone is anathema to most Connecticut voters, the kiss of death to a candidate. And the very mention of his name in any positive way rubs most voters the wrong way. Nationally too, one hopes.

But former New Britain mayor Erin Stewart and sitting Greenwich state senator Ryan Fazio have said they’d welcome Trump’s endorsement. And former New York lieutenant governor and current ultra-right-wing media character Betsy McCaughey is even closer to Trump—in age as well as sociopathic politics.

For whatever reasons, Connecticut Republicans, as the state GOP establishment that should be in hospice care is known, refuse (or refuses) to face electoral reality and insist (or insists) on sticking by Trump, to say the least. In other words, Connecticut Republicans aren’t just stubborn and blind, they’re also stupid. Really stupid.

But it’s those asses who run and ruin the party. And any Connecticut Republican who hopes to become a candidate in a general election must first suck his or her way through a state convention. One would hope that’s why Erin and Ryan haven’t at this stage dumped on Trump.

Betsy’s another story. Besides making patently ridiculous albeit not unexpected promises—like repealing the state income tax—Betsy’s political whore résumé should be a definite loser in Connecticut; and what we know of her agenda is laughable. But given the imbeciles who run the state’s Republican establishment, Betsy McCaughey is virtually certain to win the convention. Because she’s close to Trump and close to 80. And even young Connecticut Republicans are crusty old farts. And born losers. You read it here.

And in the event that Erin Stewart and/or Ryan Fazio should force a primary, they’d lose. Because, incredible as it may seem, over 90 percent of Connecticut Republicans—the clearly benighted loyal majority—are unrealistically and inexplicably supportive of Donald Trump and even enthusiastic about the delusional, mendacious tyrant.

So once again an unsatisfactory candidate will win the Connecticut Republican convention and go on—and deserve—to lose the general election for the very reason she or he won the convention . . .