Greenwich’s GOP has deep roots, but some Republicans don’t want to talk about Trump

Greenwich’s GOP has deep roots, but some Republicans don’t want to talk about Trump

Greenwich resident Dan Quigley voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. Each time, Quigley said he was shocked by Trump’s behavior and actions, but never enough to stop him from voting for him.

Until now.

Quigley, a former chairman of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee (RTC), said he is voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, the first time he has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

“I’m going to vote for the vice president in this election because I don’t think it’s enough not to vote for him. I think you should vote for him,” Quigley said.

Quigley said his support for Trump changed after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

“At the top of my list, the worst day for the Republican Party since 1974 when President Nixon resigned and Watergate,” Quigley said. “At that moment I decided that I would never vote for him again and that I would oppose his movement as much as I could.”

But Quigley is one of several prominent Republicans in Greenwich who are ready to announce they will vote for Harris. He said extremist elements remain influential within the local Republican Party, even as they alienate moderate and liberal voters.

Many Greenwich Republicans don’t want to say that, Quigley said.

“There’s not a lot of other people who want to do it, and I’ve spent the last four years trying to get other people to do it and getting frustrated, but I can see why,” he said.

According to Quigley, the extremist wing of the Greenwich Republican Party, which makes up about 40%, is still organized enough to draw support from moderate Republican candidates.

They ousted Quigley as RTC chairman in 2022 after writing an opinion piece urging the local party to shun Trump’s rhetoric.

Candidates allied with the new RTC leadership launched extremist attacks on LGBTQ+ causes, as well as diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts, and were defeated. The more conservative RTC leadership was voted out this year.

Many Republican officials in town, like First Selectman Fred Camilo, aren’t too interested in talking about Trump because they’re focused on down-ballot races. Camilo says residents are more concerned about things like inflation and the economy.

“Every time they go to the gas pump or the grocery store, they don’t have to worry about who voted for whom in the country,” Camillo said.

He does not want to say who he will vote for.

And Quigley said there’s good reason for Republicans to stay mum.

“The good Republican candidates are forever stuck between this rock and the hard place of saying something or not saying something, and they’re going to be punished both ways for (Trump),” Quigley said.

A majority of Greenwich voters are unaffiliated, and Democrats are starting to slightly outnumber Republicans in 2021, just months after the attack on the US Capitol. But that doesn’t mean Republicans in the city will publicly condemn Trump.

“If you’re a good Republican, a Republican who’s running for office, the moment you come out and speak against it, you can get some respect from people, but the element of the party that supports it will cut it off. Supporting you,” Quigley said. “It’s a risk.”

Quigley has a habit of saying “good Republicans,” and by that he means a GOP candidate who doesn’t give in to social grievances. For the most part, Democrats and unaffiliated voters alike can feel comfortable showing support.

Quigley said incumbent state Sen. Ryan Fazio of the 36th District is “a good Republican.” Fazio is running for re-election and is being challenged by Democratic candidate Nick Simmons. Fazio didn’t want to talk about Trump.

“If I wanted to predict or comment on national politics, I would run for Congress,” Fazio said.

Simmons says Fazio is less right-center than he’s letting on.

“In 2018, he opined that Roe v. Wade is a crime against the rule of law,” Simmons said. “I voted against the gun safety bill.”

But Quigley said if moderate candidates lose, it could give Trump’s loyalist wing a chance to take over the local party again. Trump supporters can safely say that moderate Republicans have failed and are attempting to recapture the local Greenwich Republican Party.

“I think they, in turn, want to see these candidates, or some of them, fail, so they can say, ‘You … got rid of us and let these RINO candidates go,'” Quigley said.

After talking to various prominent Republicans in Greenwich, I wanted to talk to a Republican voter in town who openly supports Trump and is willing to talk about it. I contacted Jackie Homan of the Greenwich Patriots, a conservative political group. Homan runs his own blog.

He declined an interview and responded to an inquiry by email link to his blog post It blasts illegal immigration and transgender rights and says Democratic leaders live in a bubble.

The post ended with the message: “Finally, since we have to ask the state of Connecticut, we’ll make it clear: We’re proudly voting for Donald Trump, as is everyone we know.”



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