Letter to the Editor: Beyond Trump, There is Elci

To the Editor:

Lee Elci, a radio pundit, is running for office. Elci wants us know he is definitely, absolutely, not MAGA.

In a recent interview, Elci estimated he agrees with the president only 20% of the time.

I’m more concerned when Lee Elci agrees with Lee Elci.

In January 2025, Elci celebrated ICE separating families in New London, and dismissed humane concerns as a “media manipulation.”

“I told you the mainstream media is gearing up for a tug at your heartstrings, yeah.

(In) New London, the media manipulation combined with political incompetence is trying to serve up a big, giant, healthy dose of ‘Look at us, look how sad we are. Look how terrible this is. Look at the people running for their lives.’ 

Yesterday, whispers began to spread that ICE was in town. … 

But what did our friends on the left do? Well, predictably, they jumped into action, trying to obstruct and paint a picture of despair and hardship. ‘Oh, no! What happens when the kids come home from school and mommy and daddy are in the back of an ICE vehicle on their way to the airport to be deported?'”

In November 2025, Elci claimed people on the left are a “national security threat”; stating women he disagrees with aren’t women, but “its”:

“(W)hat the left tries to do is a national security threat … Have you seen these idiots yelling and screaming in people’s faces like these? I don’t know if they’re women or women. I don’t care. But these ‘its’ are just yelling and screaming at people, like, getting in their face when people are just trying to have a conversation.”

This July, Elci repeated racist tropes about Islam. The slurs Elci employed echo tired “dual loyalty” lies that have repeatedly been leveled against Catholics, Jews, and Muslims. 

“Because really what’s in the Koran doesn’t jive with what’s in the Constitution. And we are a constitutional republic built on those great Judeo-Christian values that I talked about yesterday. And unfortunately, not every ideology can coexist with the narrative of individual rights, Judeo-Christian values, equality. And unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, Islam is a piece of that puzzle that won’t fit. As it’s practiced, as it’s preached in its foundational texts, it demands something fundamentally different. A global caliphate. It demands Sharia law.”

Given Elci’s clearly stated disdain for immigrants, people on the left, women who have opinions, and Muslims, Elci seems incapable of representing all of the people who live in southeastern Connecticut.

Elci has a comfortable place within rightwing politics in southeastern Connecticut, and Old Lyme in particular. In Old Lyme, it appears to be a requirement for Republicans to insist local Republicans are only concerned about local politics, and what happens nationally is a separate issue. We are all expected to take these absurd claims at face value, even when local actions (attempts at book bans, rightwing trolls brigading Facebook posts, the funder of a local paper chairing a fundraiser for JD Vance, etc) look a lot like what’s happening nationally. 

To be clear: Elci’s opponent in this race, Martha Marx, is a mediocre candidate. The Marx/Lamont Assholegate video is painful to watch. I know in 2026 it’s cringe to say cringe, but wow, that video is cringe. 

And: I’m excited to vote for Martha Marx because I’m a realist. Marx and Elci are the choices we have. Not voting, or writing in a protest vote, is effectively a vote for Elci. I’d love to see a viable primary challenge to Marx in two years, or for her to grow and evolve as a politician — but that’s not the choice we have today. 

Sincerely,
William Fitzgerald
Old Lyme