On Monday, Connecticut Republicans will hold their convention and choose a candidate to take on Senator Richard Blumenthal in his first re-election battle since being sent to Washington  in 2010.   On Sunday, two of the three candidate vying for the nomination will appear on Face the State.

Businessmen Jack Orchulli and August Wolf are our guests this weekend.  State Senator Dan Carter was unable to attend our taping.

Orchulli and Wolf wasted no time criticizing Blumenthal, and laid out their own cases.   Wolf cited his experience as a U.S. Olympian, and Orchulli said he was the real major league player in the game.

Both agreed that the Donald Trump “phenomenon,” as they put it,  would be good for the Connecticut Republican party, arguing that the national mood that favors political outsiders would play well here and help them defeat Blumenthal, which is an uphill battle in a blue state.

“This is a different year,” Orchilli said, and Wolf chimed in with “America is looking for leaders with a different background than a career politician.  This is a different environment.”

By the way, after the interview, Wolf told me if he is the nominee that fellow former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner would campaign for him here in Connecticut.

Our flashback this weekend is a vintage report by Mika Brzezinski, who worked for WFSB long before Morning Joe. Preview here: https://dennishouse.tv/2016/05/06/grand-opening-of-dodd-stadium/

Tune in to Face the State this Sunday morning at 11 on WFSB.