The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode: It's a Numbers Game: Winning as a Republican in Blue Connecticut with Ryan Fazio
Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Ryan Grusky (sub for Clay & Buck)
Guest: Ryan Fazio (Connecticut State Senator, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores how Republicans can be competitive—and even win—elections in deep blue, traditionally Democratic states like Connecticut. Through an extended conversation with Ryan Fazio, a young, locally rooted Republican state senator and now candidate for governor, host Ryan Grusky delves into political strategy, the evolving landscape of state and national redistricting, challenges facing blue states, and the motivations for conservatives to remain active in places dominated by Democrats.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redistricting: The High-Stakes Arms Race (03:45–21:27)

• Redistricting now a “full arms race” nationwide:
  • Texas & Florida: Republicans poised for several new House seats by redrawing lines (potentially +14 if Supreme Court rolls back some Voting Rights Act protections).
  • California: Democrats expected to gain seats via new maps, but a ballot initiative in November could still affect outcomes.
  • Maryland & other blue states: More districts are being drawn to favor Democrats.
  • Supreme Court impact: Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act under review (decision expected October), which could change minority-representation rules in districts and unleash a “redistricting frenzy,” especially in the Deep South.

    "If Section 2 is stricken down, it is going to be craziness... It is going to be crazy how quickly it could happen to really redistrict the last Democrats of the Deep South." — Ryan Grusky [14:45]

• Long-term perspective:
  • 2030 Census effects: Blue states are projected to lose seats, forcing more competitive or even intra-party primary fights.

    "Democrats are setting themselves up... they are putting their own Democrats in very uncomfortable positions just four years out." — Ryan Grusky [17:43]

• Why Republicans should stay and fight in blue states:
  • Even small Republican legislative minorities can prevent total Democratic control, gerrymanders, and, by extension, shape national politics.
  • Encouragement for Republicans not to simply “move to Florida” but to fight where they live and defend local interests.

    "States can change. West Virginia was one of the bluest... New Jersey was a solidly red state... Politics is impermanent in any place." — Ryan Grusky [20:00]

2. Interview: How to Win as a Republican in Deep Blue Connecticut (25:32–45:04)

Ryan Fazio’s Political Origin Story

• Began running for office at age 30, deeply motivated by economic policy and accessibility of the American Dream, specifically as a Connecticut native.

  "I just look at the state... it's a great place with great people. But like many other high-tax blue states, it's been suffering economically. It's too expensive to live here... If I wanted a job done right or better, that ultimately I had to do it myself." — Ryan Fazio [26:05]

Winning in a Strongly Democratic District

• Fazio lost his first race in 2020, but won in 2021 in a special election; his district is consistently Democratic at the federal level (Kamala Harris +16), even as he carried it at the state level.
• Keys to success:
  • Active listening:

    "So much of politics these days is who can talk the loudest. But I think listening is very important... In order to really understand what they prefer, you do have to listen to them." — Ryan Fazio [27:45]

  • Hard work and personal contact: Door-knocking, connecting with as many voters as possible at each level (local, senate, etc.).
  • Focus on core issues: High cost of living, electric rates (3rd highest in U.S.), excessive taxes, local control over decisions, public safety.

    "Electricity costs have been in the news a lot recently... Embedded in those electric rates in Connecticut is a 20%... tax to fund over 50 different government programs." — Ryan Fazio [30:07]

Concrete Policy Proposals for Affordability

• Cutting electric rates by slashing hidden taxes on bills (public benefits charge).
• A $1,500 income tax cut for the average family without drastic spending cuts but by limiting growth of spending.
• Property tax caps modeled after other states.
• Building relationships with moderate Democrats even in a likely split-government scenario; leveraging the "powerful governorship" (veto, etc.).

Supporting Down-Ballot Republicans

• Contrast between "ladder-puller" governors (like Chris Christie) and those who campaign actively for the party (like Larry Hogan, Phil Scott).
  • Fazio promises to prioritize and campaign for legislative Republicans, seeing balance in the legislature as crucial to state success.

    “If I could spend an extra hour talking to voters... I will do it in the swing state senate or house district.” — Ryan Fazio [33:47]

Connecting on Affordability and With Younger Voters

• Sincerity is key:

  "If you actually believe what you're saying, then let's also make sure that what you're saying makes sense and it's not a bunch of crap." — Ryan Fazio [35:49]

  • Shared that he has improved with young voters, even winning youth mock elections in otherwise blue districts (“I was more proud of that than I was actually of winning the entire district.” [37:19])
  • Notes on generational shifts (Gen Z potentially shifting rightward).

How Republicans Can Win Connecticut

• Emphasizes that executive offices, even in blue states, can flip if candidates focus relentlessly on core practical issues (cost of living, public safety) and maintain credibility.
• Ticket-splitting more common; good campaigns matter.

  "We have to be disciplined about what our priorities are and those are the priorities. And we also have to have some depth... There has to be that credibility there." — Ryan Fazio [39:32]

Why Stay and Fight as a Republican in a Blue State?

• Deep sense of place and community:

  "Your home is worth fighting for. The people you know intimately are worth fighting for... Place and people still matter in politics." — Ryan Fazio [42:26]

  • Expresses emotional rewards of public service in his home district and the value of representing a community one knows and understands.

Campaign Information

• Fazio encourages listeners to learn more or support at RyanFazio.com [44:26].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Redistricting Arms Race:

  "I could do it with a box of crayons on the back of a TGIF Friday kids menu."
  — Ryan Grusky, on the ease of gerrymandering certain Democratic incumbents out in Florida [07:53]

• On Republican Minority Power:

  "It's so important that in these blue and purple states, Republicans have managed to gain an iota of political power... that stops these Democratic governors from doing to their states what Gavin Newsom is... trying to do... to make sure that the entire electorate isn't fixed against Republicans nationwide."
  — Ryan Grusky [19:22]

• On Why Fight in Blue States:

  "Politics is impermanent in any place. And Republicans, even though it could seem so dark in some areas and so lost and so unbelievably not possible it is even to gain one foothold of power somewhere. It is possible for Republicans to win."
  — Ryan Grusky [20:00]

• On Genuine Politics:

  "I think for people, I think they can tell if you care. Mom, dummy believes what he's saying... There's that sort of, like, credibility. Like, people know Trump... believes the things he's saying. They can also tell that, you know, someone like Andrew Cuomo or Kamala Harris, they don't believe the things they're saying."
  — Ryan Fazio [35:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:45–21:27 | Redistricting arms race, SCOTUS and national implications | | 25:32–45:04 | Main Interview: Ryan Fazio on winning as a Republican in blue Connecticut | | 27:45 | Fazio on keys to converting Democrat-leaning districts: Listening, prioritizing voter issues | | 30:07 | Fazio's concrete proposals to make CT affordable | | 33:47 | The role of governors in building strong local parties | | 35:49 | Fazio on authenticity, voter sincerity, and youth outreach | | 39:32 | Strategy for how to flip executive offices in blue states | | 42:26 | Emotional case for conservatives fighting for their home communities | | 44:26 | Campaign plug: RyanFazio.com |

Ask Me Anything Segment (49:33–54:07)

• How to spot a legitimate pollster: A real pollster will never say who they’re polling for; they don’t solicit money or sell polling data.
• Legalities of California’s redistricting and Voting Rights Act: If a map is struck down as VRA-noncompliant, courts appoint someone to redraw district lines, often with unpredictable results.
• Listener advice: If approached by a pollster who’s too transparent about their client or starts asking for donations, they're likely not legitimate.

Overall Tone

Conversational, pragmatic, and optimistic about the long-term political prospects of Republicans in blue states. Both host and guest stress the importance of authenticity, personal connection to place, and practical solutions over ideological purity or national party lines.

Conclusion

This episode offers a detailed look at both the high-level redistricting battle and the personal, grassroots strategies Republicans can employ to compete—and potentially win—in blue states like Connecticut. Ryan Fazio’s experience and outlook provide encouragement and tactics for conservatives everywhere: stay, fight, focus on what matters locally, listen to your neighbors, and never write off a state as hopelessly lost.