Completely dismissing a local state Senate candidate based on who they support for president is no way to decide who will represent you in the Connecticut legislature, no matter which side you’re on ("GOP candidates keep failing the Trump test," Oct. 4).

What’s happening on the national stage between two controversial candidates may be both captivating and sad. But, what’s happening here in Connecticut is critical when choosing the people who will be our voices in Hartford. The truth is no state lawmaker will ever be faced with voting on the president’s policies, but they will be responsible for shaping Connecticut’s future.

The question that should be posed to local candidates is, “Are you dedicated to rebuking the economic policies championed by Governor Malloy and the legislative Democratic majority?" And, "Who will stand up to the Democratic majority that has had a stranglehold on the state legislature for decades? We don’t need elected officials who follow these ill-fated policies like herds to a slaughter house. If you like the way things are going in Connecticut for the past six years and if you are comfortable with the status quo, then by all means elect Democrats who will continue to blindly follow the policies of Malloy and pass the same painful budgets which raise taxes and make cuts to the most vulnerable. Clearly, a vote for a Democrat is a vote for Malloy and reaffirmation of Malloy’s policies.

Don’t hope for a better Connecticut, vote for one. Vote for new leadership. Vote for the vision local Republican candidates have to grow jobs and build opportunities for all people in Connecticut.

This is a Connecticut election and candidates should be judged on what they will do for the state of Connecticut, not on which of the two discouraging presidential candidates they’ve decided to support.

Instead of the “Trump Test” for your state senator, we need a “Connecticut test”, which is the courage he or she has to move this state forward by abandoning the current policies and setting a course for a stronger and better state of Connecticut.

Len Fasano, a Republican, is the state Senate minority leader. He lives in North Haven.