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For Republican congressional candidate George Austin, the job he wants to take on amounts to much more than directly supporting the defense industry that’s a hallmark of Connecticut’s 2nd district.
It’s about having the backs of all the “mom-and-pop feeder companies” that go into that industry, he says.
Appearing on a special edition of WTIC’s Reese on the Radio talk show Friday afternoon as Reese celebrated his birthday at Stadium XV Restaurant in Farmington, Austin said he frequently meets residents of the district who don’t believe he can defeat career U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (D).
Courtney, Austin asserted, however, has presented himself as a “one-trick pony,” regularly getting re-elected largely on his support for the submarine industry in eastern Connecticut.
“That's really all he likes to talk about,” he said. “And don't get me wrong – submarines are important to the 2nd district, but there's a whole lot more to the second district than just the submarines. I know there's a lot of ancillary kind of mom and pop feeder companies that go into the defense industry. And I'm not going to forget about them.”
A newcomer to politics, businessman Austin said while Courtney may know “the nuts and bolts of the procurement process” for the submarine industry, he believes he himself is the candidate who has a lot more insight into what people really need.
“And I know what government is doing to get in their way,” he explained. “And as a matter of fact, a lot of people say, ‘What do you want to do when you get in there?’ But, I think it's more about what I want to see government stop doing: I want to see government getting out of your way, off of your back, out of your pocket, away from your kids, out of your bedrooms and out of your homes. Yeah, that's what I want to see happen.”
But, then, Reese laid out the reality of the situation Austin is facing.
“I'm just saying, your opponent is going to do everything he can to go after you,” he told Austin. “We know how they feel about Republicans in this state. Everything that somebody does becomes attached to who we are as conservatives. But we need fighters here. And one of the biggest complaints we have from our audience and the people who listen to the show and support conservatives is that they don't see people really want to get into the mush with these guys. Do you have someone who's like, you know, again, putting Courtney's record out there and saying enough for this; we need a change?”
“Yeah, you're talking to him,” Austin said, to which Reese replied, “I love it!”
Austin, in fact, said he loves “the fight” of the campaign.
“I got in because I love the fight,” he described himself. “I’m all about it.”
But Austin explained that there’s a way of conducting the fight where “you can be ruthless, but not dirty.”
“Those things can be mutually acceptable,” he said. “And I mean, let's put it this way: man, I've put in a lot of my personal funds to do this. I know that I'm having some struggles on that front because I am a first time candidate and everyone thinks that this race is unwinnable. You know, when I started a year ago, I would say I'm running against Joe Courtney, and I would hear ‘Good for you!’” – but with people letting him know “that’s a tall mountain” to climb.
Nevertheless, Austin is undaunted by that kind of talk:
“You know, here's the thing, guys. It's real simple. If he can win, he can lose. And if the primary has showed us anything, there is a generational change afoot, right? And we're going to use that. We're going to use everything at our disposal. We're building a coalition. I'm going to give you an example.”
Austin announced that last week ended a petition period for his campaign to get onto the independent line on the ballot.
“That's a big part of building this coalition,” he said, explaining that – even in the small cities in his district – “everyone thirsts for the conservative message.”
“Our message resonates,” he said. “I resonate. It's all good. You know they got something against voting for Republicans mainly because they got a beef with the president. So, listen, we can argue with them for two hours. I'll lose the two hours. I'll lose the vote. They think I lose the argument, or we give them a home to vote for us on the independent line and show that our priorities are getting things done.”
Right now, nothing is happening in Congress, Austin said.
“We need to start bringing people in who want to get things done” and who want to make changes “for the betterment of the American people,” he asserted.
Connect with George on his website: https://votegeorgeforcongress.com/
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