Chris Murphy's Republican challenger revealed after contentious Connecticut Senate GOP primary

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Military veteran Matthew Corey has won the Republican primary to face Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy in the fall.

Corey, who owns a bar in Hartford, Connecticut, was runner-up in the state GOP’s nominating convention in May. He previously lost to Murphy in 2018.

He defeated insurance agent and small-town official Gerry Smith, who was favored by the Connecticut Republican Party. 

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Sen. Chris Murphy attends the Warsaw Security Forum in 2022. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Smith managed to outraise Corey during the primary cycle, with the latter bringing in just over $30,000 in individual contributions compared to Smith’s roughly $62,000 haul, according to campaign finance data.

But Smith ended the primary cycle with less cash on hand than Corey did – roughly $4,200 compared to $32,000.

The primary winner now faces an uphill climb to the U.S. Senate, however – Connecticut has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1982, according to the CT Mirror. 

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Murphy represented Newtown, Connecticut, when the Sandy Hook shooting took place. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

President Biden won the state by roughly 20 points in 2020 over former President Trump, and there’s not a single Republican in its seven-member congressional delegation.

Murphy’s war chest is also significantly larger than his opponent’s, having brought in nearly $13 million in individual contributions in this election cycle. 

He is also heading into the general election with $9.7 million in cash on hand.

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Murphy's expected victory will be a welcoming win for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he seeks to hold his majority. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Democratic senator came to national attention as the congressman representing Newtown in 2012 when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place.

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Murphy is seeking a third term in the Senate, having been first elected in 2012.

While he’s the runaway favorite to win his seat again, the victory is nevertheless welcome padding for Democrats as they face the prospect of losing their razor-thin Senate majority.