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(Hartford Courant) – WASHINGTON – Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, a five-term Democrat whose political stock began falling after the financial meltdown and his failed 2008 presidential bid, has decided not to seek re-election.
Falling poll numbers
Given Dodd’s bad poll standing, other Democrats have gone out of their way to give him the spotlight in hopes he could recover before November. With the embattled Dodd stepping aside, Democrats can now try to recruit a more popular candidate to run in Democratic-leaning state, bolstering the prospects of thwarting a Republican victory. Among the early favorites to replace Dodd is longtime Connecticut state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is seen as one of the state’s most popular politicians.
“Republicans thought they might steal this seat, but now they should probably look elsewhere,” said Roy Occhiogrosso, a veteran Democratic strategist in Connecticut and a Dodd supporter. “This is Dick Blumenthal’s race. People in Connecticut know who he is. They know the work he’s done. They know he can go to Washington and continue the same kind of work.”
Dodd, who has taken heat for a discounted VIP mortgage loan he got from a subprime lender, has been consistently behind potential GOP challenger Rob Simmons in Connecticut polls.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
