I’m not so good at predictions in election season. Just ask some of my newsroom colleagues who have almost collected enough $1 bets from me over the years to buy a small car.

I attribute this to my innate sense of optimism. And as we get this close to an election, I can’t help but think the good judgment and instincts of Connecticut voters will prevail.

I’m not planning to take any bets on it this year, because the stakes are so high, but I predict voters here will indeed reject the nastiness of Trumpism, the kind of people who would snicker at a brutal, politics-driven assault on the 82-year-old husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

I do believe Connecticut voter instincts are especially important this year, as American democracy teeters, with so many Republicans nationally questioning, with no evidence, despite Herculean efforts to find some, that Biden didn’t win in 2020.

It is Trumpist Republicans who are continuing to work to limit voting and fair elections, putting armed watchers at ballot boxes and positioning for further aggressive election results denials.

With some notable exceptions, it is Republicans who have excused former President Donald Trump’s multi-pronged attempt to steal the 2020 election and stop the peaceful transfer of power with a violent attack on Congress.

It’s the party that created a Supreme Court that brought us the end of Roe v. Wade, tried to block health care coverage for pre-existing conditions, threatens to repeal new drug price controls and is positioning for cutbacks in basic entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.

It’s no wonder that Connecticut Republicans are hiding from the ugliness of their party. You won’t see many Republican candidate lawn signs with party affiliation listed on them.

Sen. Heather Somers, who does a good job, not just in election season, of focusing on local matters, refused to debate this election season, saying she did not want to talk about national issues.

Those forbidden topics would be Trumpism and all it has wrought.

I am not making a prediction, because I’m not good at that, but I suspect that Somers will prevail in her politically diverse 18th District, because she is ambitious, works hard and is really good at running from the worst of extreme Republicanism, including her own votes against gun control.

The region’s other Republican Senate candidate, Jerry Labriola in the 20th District, has also been very good at avoiding Republican extremism.

No bets or predictions, but the moderate Republican could make fast work of opponent Martha Marx, a very liberal Democrat who is not well liked even in some influential corners of her own New London-based party.

This could be her third straight loss, a sure sign it’s time to retire from politics.

Gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski has refused at every turn to criticize Trump, the defacto leader of the Republican Party plotting a return to the White House.

I am quite sure that Connecticut voters won’t accept a governor who won’t criticize Trump for directing armed insurrectionists toward the Capitol to carry out a coup.

I might even be tempted to venture a small bet on it.

This is the opinion of David Collins

d.collins@theday.com