CT’s Republican candidates for U.S. Senate prep for Tuesday night debate

Moderate Republican Themis Klarides on Tuesday night will attempt to divide and conquer Leora Levy of Greenwich and Peter Lumaj of Fairfield, her two conservative opponents, during a prime-time debate in advance of the August 9 GOP primary for the nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

There will be a lot riding on the only face-to-face meeting of the candidates, in what is likely to be a low-turnout Primary Day next month at the height of the summer vacation period.

Klarides, a lawyer from Madison and the former six-year minority leader of the state House of Representatives, won the party endorsement at its May convention, while Levy, a major Republican contributor and member of the Republican National Committee, and Lumaj – an immigration attorney who has failed in several statewide campaigns for elective office – won enough support to force the primary.

Since the convention, Levy, in her first political campaign, has touted endorsements from conservative members of the U.S. Senate from around the country, and has taken political pot shots at Klarides for working with Democrats during her more than 20 years in the General Assembly representing Derby and the Naugatuck Valley.

Lumaj, who proclaims himself to be the most-conservative of the three candidates, recently acted as referee in the acrimonious primary campaign by criticizing Levy for attacking Klarides within hours of her mother’s death.

WTNH News 8 will host the live, 45-minute-long debate starting at 8 p.m. The debate will also be carried on WCTX and the WTNH FaceBook page.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT