GOP could open primaries to unaffiliated voters

Searching for ways to dig itself out of the doldrums in statewide and congressional elections, the state Republican Party is considering opening its primaries to unaffiliated voters.

The initiative comes after Republicans at the top of the party's ticket were shut out again in the 2014 midterm election, extending a string of futility that goes back to 2006.

"Maybe we should let them affect the outcome of the primary," said Michael Garrett, a Republican State Central Committee member from Bridgeport who is leading a newly created task force on the issue.

"So that's the argument for it. And the argument against it is that unaffiliateds are unaffiliated for a reason. They don't wish to participate in party politics."

Still, unaffiliateds are the state's largest bloc of the electorate. There are twice as many unaffiliated voters (818,389) in Connecticut as Republicans (407,520), who are significantly outnumbered by Democrats (712,985).

The task force is also kicking around proposals to move up the presidential primary date in Connecticut and to hold a single primary for governor and lieutenant governor instead of separate nominating contests.

Both of those measures would require a change in state election laws that apply to both parties and the consent of Democrats, who control the General Assembly and the governor's office.

"As we've always said, if the Legislature passes a bill, we will carefully review it," said Devon Puglia, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Opening GOP primaries to unaffiliated voters, who were briefly eligible to participate in the party's nominating process during the mid-1980s, would require the Republican State Central Committee to change the party bylaws.

The earliest some in the GOP see such a dramatic switch taking place would be 2018, the next gubernatorial election year.

"That's probably the most controversial topic that we are exploring," Garrett said. "There's like a visceral response to it by a lot of Republicans ... But there's others that think it could benefit."

David Walker, a fellow task force member from Bridgeport and former U.S. comptroller general who finished third in the party's 2014 primary for lieutenant governor, embraced opening the process to unaffiliated voters.

"There's no question in my mind that we need reforms," said Walker, who is eying a 2016 challenge of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Nineteen states have some form of open primaries, which the task force is evaluating to see if they have helped or hindered Republicans.

"We have to be careful that a reaction to a couple of elections does not create a circumstance that we would regret later," said Art Mannion, a task force member and Republican State Central Committee member from Danbury.

"So it's a question of does opening the primary to unaffiliated voters give you a better candidate for the long term who can still espouse Republican principles? Personally, I'm open on it."

Created at the directive of state GOP Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr., who has been on the hot seat since the midterm election, the task force has met twice. It is scheduled to brief the 72-member State Central Committee on its work so far Saturday.

"I know that they're collecting a lot of information and are really studying this," said John Kleinhans, the party's political director.

Jim Campbell, the Republican Town Committee chairman of the reliable GOP stronghold of Greenwich, favors change.

"As Republicans, we win elections only when we win the majority of the unaffiliated vote," Campbell said. "I think we have to look seriously at opening our primary to encourage independent voters to vote Republican."

In the more near term, a bill introduced by state Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington, would move Connecticut up in the pecking order of presidential primaries for the 2016 election.

Until 2008, both parties in Connecticut held their primaries on Super Tuesday, which fell in early February and drew visits from then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and future first lady Michelle Obama.

In 2011, looking to create a regional primary with New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware, the General Assembly ended the tie-in with Super Tuesday.

But the inability of the states to get on the same page for setting a date for the proceedings relegated the regional primary to April 24. By that point in 2012, Mitt Romney had all but wrapped up the GOP's nomination.

"It seems like in a lot of cases that the parade has already passed," Markley said. "Obviously, it would be wonderful for us to be upfront. The trouble is every state feels the same way."

Looking forward to 2018, Republicans are also warming up to a single primary for governor and lieutenant governor, which would allow candidates at the top of the ticket to pick their running mates.

The GOP minority appears to have its work cut out convincing Democrats, however.

"It is not a surprise that Republicans are looking for ways to address another tough election cycle through inside-baseball changes," Mandell said.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy