Matt Corey Discusses His Vision for Connecticut: A GOP Candidate’s Journey to the U.S. Senate
In a wide-ranging interview on The Real Story, Matthew Corey, the official GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, delved into his recent primary victory and his plans for Connecticut as he gears up to challenge Democratic Senator Chris Murphy in the 2024 general election. Hosted by Emma Wulfhorst, the conversation offered an in-depth look at Corey’s perspectives on business, law enforcement, and Connecticut’s economy.
Corey, a lifelong Manchester resident and seasoned businessman, opened up about his connection to Connecticut, saying, “I’m a Manchester native, lived here all my life. I joined the United States Navy right out of high school. I served in the Middle East during the ’82, ’87, during the International Peacekeeping Force. I came back, I worked for the postal service for a little while, I worked for the Teamsters for a little while and in 1989, I opened up a small high rise window cleaning company and had that for 32 years.” He recounted his journey from military service to entrepreneurship, highlighting the unique insights he’s gained from his three decades in business.
Wulfhorst noted, “Your primary party on Tuesday night was actually at your pub. That’s a pretty special moment and as you just mentioned, I really feel like that’s been a big primary principle of your campaign is your focus on you being a businessman and business-friendly representation in Congress. I want to start with that. What does business-friendly representation in Congress look like for you?”
Corey responded unequivocally, “You have to be a vested interest in the state of Connecticut and I have that vested interest being a small business owner. So when you create policies in Washington, D.C., you have to know the impacts when you come home and for someone like Senator Murphy, who has never worked in the private sector his entire life, never signed a front of a paycheck, the policies that he’s bringing home is hurting small businesses and large corporations.”
Wulfhorst pressed further on this point, questioning how Corey plans to balance business interests with the rights of workers, a focal point of Murphy’s platform. Corey replied, “You can’t be pro-worker and anti-business at the same time, it doesn’t work. You have Senator Murphy bragging about UAW jobs in Tennessee where we have UAW jobs right here, Colt Firearms, you can’t have it both ways. You have to find that delicate balance. Right now we’re losing 400 jobs at Sikorsky helicopter. I used to work for the largest trucking company, it was Roadway Freight, we have YRC, 30,000 jobs lost. So you have to find that delicate balance. But if you’ve never worked in the private sector, you’ve never ran a business, you don’t know the implications of those regulations that you’re putting on small businesses and the cost of doing business.”
The conversation also touched on law enforcement and public safety, another key area of Corey’s platform. When asked what “unequivocal support for law enforcement” meant to him, Corey didn’t hesitate. “Well, when you have Senator Murphy embracing and fawning over a Kamala Harris administration, she wants to defund police, she wants to defund ICE. That’s not embracing law enforcement. Our communities are not safe unless you back law enforcement,” he stated firmly. “And I don’t know where Senator Murphy’s community lives in, but there’s a lot of communities that you see with a lot of shootings around that are happening in Connecticut, East Haven police are being attacked. We need to support law enforcement, give them the tools they need to keep our communities safe.”
On healthcare, particularly reproductive rights, Corey was clear about his stance, emphasizing that these issues should be handled at the state level. “I do not stand with a nationwide abortion ban or a federal ban. I stand with the citizens of the state of Connecticut. Law is settled here in the state of Connecticut. I stand with the citizens,” he said.
Wulfhorst also brought up foreign policy, specifically U.S. aid to Ukraine, an area where Corey has been critical of the current administration. “There has been bipartisan support for sending more aid,” Wulfhorst noted. “Is that something that if you were in that Senate seat right now, you would not agree with?”
Corey responded cautiously, “I would agree with it, if long as you had an Inspector General, knowing where that money went. My thing is I would support President Trump’s administration who is seeking peace and negotiation. When is the war gonna end? What is the outcome? Now you have Ukraine invading Russia. This is a very dangerous situation over there. So to say, we’ll just have an open checkbook and send all the money to Ukraine until we want the results that we’re looking for, that’s not the way to do foreign policy.”
As the interview drew to a close, Wulfhorst asked Corey about his alignment with former President Donald Trump, a stance that has historically been challenging for Republicans in a predominantly blue state like Connecticut. Corey, however, was unapologetic. “Not at all. Well, if this election is about personality, then okay, you don’t have to elect somebody, but this is about policy,” he argued. “And this is the first time in my history probably ever that you have two administrations with both have records. Now Kamala Harris is attached to President Biden’s administration. And from what my commander in chief said, President Ronald Reagan, are you better off today than you were four years ago? And what is wrong with President Trump’s policies? We had peace overseas, we had a secure border, and we had an economy that worked for everyone. So if you looked past all the noise, were you doing better, whether you’re working single mom, single dad, parents, buying an affordability, where you’re a small business, large corporation, were you doing better under the previous administration or the current administration? We all know the answer to that. So look past the noise and go with policy that’s going to help America and bring peace around the world and secure our nation.”
Wulfhorst acknowledged the challenges Corey faces in a state that has leaned blue for decades, with the Senate seat having been held by a Democrat since 1989. Corey remained optimistic, “I think if people look who has a vested interest in the state of Connecticut, who actually lives in the state of Connecticut, raises families and has a small business in Connecticut, understands the pain and suffering that we’re going through under this economy, I think they would look at a guy like myself who’s brought up as a blue collar, hardworking family of seven person, and just knows what it takes and loves a state that didn’t move out of state, they would take a look at my campaign and take a look at who they’re sending to Washington.”
As the general election nears, Corey is betting that Connecticut voters are ready for a change. With his deep roots in the state and his business-first approach, Corey is positioning himself as the candidate who can bring a fresh perspective to Washington. Whether this message will resonate in a state long dominated by Democrats remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Matt Corey isn’t afraid to shake things up.
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-JB-