State Rep. Doug Dubitsky’s brand of conservatism borders on the radical.

The Republican incumbent voted “no” on the legislation that would ban bump stocks, the devices used to allow a semiautomatic rifle to fire like a fully automatic machine gun. Many people learned about the device when a sniper used it to murder 58 people attending a Las Vegas concert about one year ago. Dubitsky, 55, said it is best left to federal discretion, also known as the place sensible gun control ideas go to die.

Dubitsky opposed legislation that bans the practice of gay-conversion therapy, the discredited practice of mental manipulation and use of guilt to “cure” individuals of their homosexual nature. He told us the law really doesn’t do what it espouses. But it took a stand worth supporting.

The two-term 47th District incumbent also suggested the Connecticut ACLU chapter opposed the gay conversion therapy ban. It didn’t, a point he later acknowledged.

Forget about entertaining a $15 minimum wage, Dubitsky questions if any minimum wage floor must be set — let the market decide. As for finding a way to provide paid family leave, forget about it. Dubitsky prefers the every man or woman for him or herself approach.

Dubitsky won’t entertain the idea of tolls.

He laments the delays in getting budgets approved in the legislature; rightly pointing out it is unfair to the towns that need to know what state aid they can expect. But Dubitsky seems unbending about the compromise necessary to get a state budget passed, even voting against a bipartisan compromise budget two years ago.

We recognize that Dubitsky’s style of conservatism may play well in his district, consisting largely small, rural towns — northern Norwich, parts of Lisbon and Lebanon, and all of Scotland, Chaplin, Hampton, Canterbury, Sprague and Franklin.

But we think the better choice is his Democratic challenger Kate Donnelly, 66. She recognizes revenue generation is needed to fix Connecticut’s transportation system and tolling is the obvious answer. She seeks to protect the rural poor in her community, dedicated to defending the social safety net in a way Dubitsky is not.

Donnelly said property tax reforms, pushed by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont would better serve her constituents than cutting the income tax for the rich.

In the 47th the sound choice is Kate Donnelly.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.