Connecticut Not Sold on Buchanan

Economic anxiety is palpable in this and other bedroom towns around Hartford, where hundreds of thousands of workers have lost jobs during a decade of downsizing in the insurance and defense industries.

Yet as Republican voters readied themselves for today’s so-called Yankee presidential primary, they are notably unsympathetic, if not hostile, to the one candidate whose message has sought to appeal to their personal and financial angst--Patrick J. Buchanan.

“I don’t know a single person who is voting for Buchanan,” declared Tom Young, an employee of Aetna insurance company who is also chairman of the Simsbury Republican Party.

Even though Buchanan’s populist economic message helped him win New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, the heavy favorite in the GOP contests across the rest of New England is a more traditional politician, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.

It is not unusual for Republicans in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island to march to a different drummer from their generally more conservative brethren in New Hampshire. There is still a strong moderate streak that runs through GOP voters in most of the region, despite economic realities that have transformed the nature of their Republicanism from a traditional laissez-faire, country-club style to a more aggressive focus on cutting taxes and spending.

If many Simsbury residents had their way, they would be voting for “none of the above” in the primary. None of the current candidates is as attractive to them as those who are not running, such as retired Gen. Colin L. Powell.

As a result, Young said, many Dole supporters here are hoping that if he wins the Republican presidential nomination, he will select someone more to their liking as his running mate.

Dole, who has been endorsed by Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, Rep. Nancy Johnson, who represents Simsbury, and other state party leaders, clearly has an advantage in the state.

A poll published in the Hartford Courant showed 46% of the state’s Republicans planning to vote for Dole, with just 11% backing Buchanan, 8% for Steve Forbes and 6% for Lamar Alexander. Dole’s margin meant that even if all of the 29% undecided voters went against him, he would still win.

Likewise, Dole strategists anticipate he will carry the other New England states--although Buchanan’s message appears to have some more appeal in Vermont and Maine, while Forbes campaigned in Connecticut Monday in hopes of pulling an upset.

The Courant poll not only showed that Buchanan’s support is weak in Connecticut, it also reflected real hostility to his message; 40% said they would consider the conservative commentator “unacceptable” as the GOP nominee.

Clearly, Buchanan’s populist message runs counter to the well-honed reserve of many New Englanders.

“He appeals to the wild side of everybody--the hate side, the provincial side,” explained Sue Glasspiegel, a Simsbury Republican businesswoman. “I believe the voters in this town are more traditional, more sophisticated.”

Moreover, New England Republicans, while staunchly conservative on fiscal issues, are less conservative when it comes to the social issues that Buchanan emphasizes--such as his opposition to abortion under any circumstances and support for school prayer.

Still, even Dole’s expected strong showing in the New England states should not be interpreted as an unqualified vote of confidence for him. Many voters here seem to embrace Dole only by a process of elimination, after they have discarded the other alternatives.

“Dole doesn’t energize the electorate,” said Young. “He strikes me as tired, and it’s not his age. I don’t hear any real solutions or novel ideas from him.”

Young said he and many other Republicans would have been happier if the field of GOP presidential hopefuls included Powell, California Gov. Pete Wilson, New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman or Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld.

In a sign of this discontent, Republican Rep. Christopher Shays, a Powell supporter who represents the southern part of Connecticut, said he plans to vote “uncommitted” today.

Reflecting on the strong conservative tilt the GOP campaign has taken, Young said: “It’s hard to be part of a party where a huge chunk of it wishes you were hidden under the rug.”