Jadon MacCormack, a Republican legislative candidate who has rebuffed calls from his own party to step aside over his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, will face a primary challenger in August, state election officials confirmed Tuesday.
Anthony J. Emilio of Pomfret collected enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot in the 50th House District and was included on the final list of primary candidates released by the Secretary of the State’s office this week.
He will face MacCormack, of Brooklyn, in the Aug. 11 GOP primary. MacCormack, a 23-year-old first-time candidate, received the endorsement of local party officials last month but has since faced a wave of backlash over his posts on social media calling for the death penalty for gay people, along with other anti-LGBTQ+ and antisemitic remarks.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, and Connecticut Republican Party Leader Ben Proto were among those who immediately called on MacCormack to end his campaign.
MacCormack has since doubled down on his comments and attacked other Republicans who criticized him, accusing them of being insufficiently conservative.
“There is a clear reason Connecticut is in such deep decline: too many Republicans in office have grown weak and complacent,” MacCormack said in a text message to the Connecticut Mirror earlier this month. “What the party desperately needs is the bold, principled mindset that young conservatives like myself are bringing to the fight.”
MacCormack did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Emilio, 70, said he was recruited by the local GOP to run against MacCormack after the candidate refused to step aside or retract his “pretty terrible views.”
He said he and his supporters collected roughly 340 signatures over three days, well above the 238 signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
Emilio previously served on several local boards and commissions in Pomfret, where he and his wife own a bed an breakfast. His wife, Martha Emilio, is a member of the town’s Board of Selectmen.
“I believe in small government, and I believe we all need to take care of each other,” Emilio said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t believe that the government is the most efficient way to do that.”
MacCormack worked as a legislative staffer on the Energy and Technology Committee earlier this year. He is also a self-described Baptist and Eagle Scout who has recorded several podcasts on religion posted on YouTube.
Chris Coyle, a former chair of the Pomfret Republican Town Committee, said he was part of the effort to gather enough signatures qualify Emilio for the ballot after MacCormack’s ideas became public.
“I’m proud of the Connecticut GOP for identifying a problem with an individual and moving quickly to make clear what we stand for and make clear we will oppose anyone who divides us based on gender, race and religion,” Coyle said.
The winner of the primary will face state Rep. Pat Boyd, D-Pomfret, in the November general election. Boyd represented the seven-town district since 2016 and ran unopposed during his most recent election in 2016.
