DeLauro backs Pelosi as Dem leader, Larson vies to keep caucus post

DELAURO BACKS PELOSI AS DEM LEADER, LARSON HOPES TO HOLD ONTO HIS CAUCUS CHAIRMAN POST

Friday, Nov. 5 3:12 p.m.

After losing at least 60 seats in Tuesday's elections, many House Democrats assumed there would be a significant leadership shuffle in their party, starting with a decision by soon-to-be ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to step aside.

But Pelosi has decided to try to hold on to her post, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3^rd District, for one, has quickly lined up behind the California Democrat.

"She refuses to shy away from the toughest fights," DeLauro said in a statement Friday. "I am delighted that she has decided to run for House Democratic Leader, and I strongly support her nomination."

Meanwhile, Rep. John Larson, D-1^st District, is also trying to keep his post in the House leadership, where he serves as Democratic Caucus Chairman.

"We are all devastated and our hearts break for the colleagues who won't be rejoining us in the 112^th Congress," Larson said in a letter to his House colleagues asking for their support in a race for caucus chair. "We owe it to them to regroup and re-engage in the continuing fight for America's future.  That work starts today and we will need all hands on deck from every member as we rebuild our Caucus and our majority."

So far, no other House Democrat has announced a challenge to Larson.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

LIEBERMAN WEIGHS IN ON THE SENATE RACE RESULTS 

Wednesday Nov. 3 10 a.m.

After staying on the sidelines of Connecticut's hotly-contested U.S. Senate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman offered his opinion on the results Wednesday morning.

In a press release, Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-Independent who is up for re-election in 2012 himself, congratulated Blumenthal and welcomed him to the congressional delegation. "I look forward to working closely with Dick and the other members of our delegation as we move forward together to address the pressing issues facing Connecticut and the nation," he said in the statement.

It's unclear if Blumenthal will harbor any resentment against Lieberman over the senator's refusal to endorse him in his brutal contest against Republican Linda McMahon.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

WWE CANCELS ELECTION DAY GIVEAWAY

Monday, Nov. 1, 2010 11 p.m.

Forget those WWE freebies at the polls promised by Vince McMahon.

The U.S. Justice Department has reminded the wrestling impressario and husband of Senate candidate Linda McMahon that giving a thing of value in return for a vote is against the law. Giving away WWE clothing outside a polling place just might cross the line.

"This is clearly heavy-handed bullying from big government and would appear to be desperate political activity in closely contested elections in Connecticut," said Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.

But they will not push the issue.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

NEW VOTER REGISTRATION LAGS 2006, 2008

Monday, Nov. 1, 12:10 p.m.

Final figures show new voter registration this year was less than for the last mid-term election in 2006 and far below the record tally of the 2008 presidential year.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said the total number of new voters registered as of the Oct. 26 deadline for voting in Tuesday's election was 83,000. The new voter tally in 2006 was 90,000, and in 2008 300,000.

Only 33 percent of new voters registered as Democrats this year, compared with 39 percent in 2006 and 43 percent in 2008. Twenty percent registered as Republicans, up from 16 percent in 2006 and 13 percent in 2008.

Unaffiliated voters accounted for 45 percent of the new registrations, about the same as in previous years.

--Jacqueline Rabe

 

SIMMONS ATTACKS BLUMENTHAL -- BUT NOT FOR MCMAHON

Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010

 

There's no love lost between former 2nd District Congressman Robert R. Simmons and Linda McMahon, who foiled his bid for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate this year.

Still, for a moment during a Republican rally Saturday in Norwich, it appeared as though Simmons might speak a word of support for McMahon, who wasn't in attendance at the event at The Marina at American Wharf.

Taking aim at McMahon's Democratic opponent, Richard Blumenthal, Simmons took up a familiar Republican charge: Blumenthal's many lawsuits against Connecticut businesses have driven more harm in terms of jobs driven out of state than any benefits consumers gained from this legal action.

But when Simmons indicated there was a pro-business Republican candidate who "did more (for consumers)  without jumping in front of camera than Dick Blumenthal did in 20 years" there were a few chuckles in the crowd as people realized Simmons was speaking not of McMahon, but rather of Consumer Protection Commission Jerry Farrell Jr., the GOP candidate for secretary of the state.

--Keith M. Phaneuf

 

 

AIDS PROTESTERS BRIEFLY DISRUPT OBAMA SPEECH IN BRIDGEPORT

Saturday, Oct. 30 3:30 p.m.

Protesters demanding more aid for the global fight against AIDS briefly disrupted Barack Obama's speech in Bridgeport.

The protesters, some of whom wore Harvard and Yale sweatshirts, unfurled banners on each side of the arena, drawing boos from the crowd.

Obama told them they would be better served protesting Republicans who oppose funding for AIDS.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

AT LEAST 5,000 WAITING FOR OBAMA IN BRIDGEPORT

Saturday, Oct. 30 2:55 p.m.

If you want to find the voters who aren't angry this year, there are at least 5,000 of them in the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, waiting for the arrival of President Barack Obama.

The crowd exploded a few moments ago at the announcement, "I just want to let you know, our president is in the building."

Dan Malloy just took to the stage.

This is a remarkable moment for those of us in the 4th Congressional District," Malloy said.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

POLL SAYS REPUBLICANS HAVE THIN LEADS IN 4th AND 5th DISTRICTS

Friday, Oct. 29 2:45 p.m.

A new poll gives Republican challengers slight leads in the 4th and 5th Congressional districts, but the differences between the candidates are well within the margin of error.

A survey that Merriman River Group conducted for CT Capitol Report has state Sen. Dan Debicella leading Rep. Jim Himes by 1.9 percentage points in the 4th, 48 percent to 46.1 percent. In the 5th, the poll puts state Sen. Sam Caligiuri ahead of Rep. Chris Murphy 46.9 percent to 45.5 percent, a difference of 1.4 points.

The survey of 571 likely voters in the 4th Congressional District has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points, Merriman said. In the 5th, 595 likely voters were polled and the margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.

The automated telephone survey was conducted Oct. 24 to 26.

--Michael Regan

 

REP. JOE COURTNEY, SITTING ON A SWEET LEAD, OPENS HIS CAMPAIGN BANK ACCOUNT

Friday, Oct. 29 2:07 p.m.

The last poll has Rep. Joe Courtney, D-3^rd District, sitting on a fat lead in his re-election contest against Janet Peckinpaugh. That's apparently put him in a generous mood.

Last week, Courtney dipped into his own campaign coffers to help some of his more politically endangered colleagues, new campaign reports show. Courtney gave $2,000 Rep. Jim Himes, D-4^th District, and $1,000 to Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5^th District.

Courtney knows what it's like to be in a tight race. He first won the 3^rd District by a margin of just 83 votes.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

GIULIANI STUMPS FOR CALIGIURI

Friday, Oct. 29, 1:40 p.m.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned for Republican state Sen. Sam Caligiuri Friday, saying it's time to take back the 5th Congressional District seat from Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Murphy.

"We need people in Washington that have common sense," Giuliani said of Caligiuri, calling Murphy's voting record "disastrous" and that Murphy "should be ashamed."

"We are five days away from taking back the U.S. House," Caligiuri responded

--Jacqueline Rabe

 

POLL SHOWS BLUMENTHAL AHEAD, DEMS EXTENDING LEADS IN 1st, 2nd AND 3rd CDs

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010

A new poll shows Democrat Richard Blumenthal holding an 8 percentage point lead over Republican Linda McMahon in their contest for the U.S. Senate, while incumbent Democrats John Larson, Joe Courtney and Rosa DeLauro have extended their margins over the Republican challengers in their Congressional races.

A survey that Merriman River Group conducted for CT Capitol Report has Blumenthal winning the support of 52 percent of likely voters to McMahon's 44 percent.

The poll also shows Larson ahead of Ann Brickley 56 percent to 38 percent in the 1st District; Courtney ahead of Janet Peckinpaugh 57 percent to 38 percent in the 2nd; and DeLauro ahead of Jerry Labriola 59 percent to 37 percent in the 3rd.

The telephone survey of 1,846 likely voters was conducted Oct. 24 to 26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

--Michael Regan

MCMAHON PUMPS ANOTHER $1 MILLION INTO HER SENATE CAMPAIGN COFFERS

Thursday, Oct. 28 11:46 a.m.

For anyone who is still counting, Linda McMahon threw another $1 million of her own money into her U.S. Senate bid this week. A new campaign finance filing shows she pumped that latest batch of cash into her bid on Monday, bringing her total investment so far to $47 million.

McMahon, the Republican nominee and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, has said she'll spend as much as $50 million in her race against Democrat Richard Blumenthal. So $3 million still to go before Nov. 2?

Meanwhile, the Blumenthal campaign has still not offered more of an explanation about how he managed to loan his campaign $2.25 million, when his net worth is is between $599,000 and $1.36 million.

The campaign's initial response, made after the GOP filed an election complaint about the Blumenthal loan, noted that the disclosure forms detailing his net worth do not include all of a candidate's assets, such as houses and cars.

So did he take out a home-equity loan to fund his campaign? We'll let you know when we get an answer from his spokeswoman.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

NEW POLL HAS MALLOY, FOLEY IN DEAD HEAT

Oct. 27, 2010 3:37 p.m.

A poll released today shows Republican Tom Foley and Democrat Dan Malloy in a dead heat in the race for governor.

A survey that Merriman River Group conducted for CT Capitol Report has Foley and Malloy tied with 45.1 percent of the vote, with 6.3 percent undecided.

The telephone survey of 1,846 likely voters was conducted Oct. 24 to 26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

"It seems clear we are heading to the tightest two-way gubernatorial finish in recent memory," said Matthew Fitch, the poll's executive director.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday had Malloy with a five-point lead. Ramussen Reports had Malloy the same day with a three-point lead.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

REPUBLICANS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT BLUMENTHAL'S CAMPAIGN LOAN

Wednesday, Oct. 27 1:39 p.m.

The U.S. Senate campaign is turning into a war of campaign-finance allegations.

Today, the Republican State Party filed a new federal election complaint against Democrat Richard Blumenthal's campaign. The document alleges that Blumenthal has "illegally funneled outside money" into his campaign coffers.

Blumenthal has loaned his campaign $2.25 million so far this election cycle. But as the GOP notes, he filed a financial disclosure form reporting assets of between $599,000 and $1.36 million.

Blumenthal's wife Cynthia is much wealthier, listing assets of between $55 million to $107 million. But she is limited, like any other donor, to giving $4,800 to her husband's campaign.

"This raises only two possibilities: Dick Blumenthal lied on his financial disclosure to the U.S. Senate or he has funded his campaign illegally," the GOP alleges.

Blumenthal's campaign dismissed the charges, noting that the disclosure forms do not require candidates to list all of their assets, such as their cars and homes.

"It's a phony charge that is completely wrong," said Blumenthal campaign manager Mindy Myers. "The Senate personal financial disclosure forms do not include all assets such as certain real estate like someone's home."

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DEAN MAY ASK COURT TO POSTPONE AG ELECTION

Wednesday, Oct. 27 10:55 a.m

Republican Martha Dean said today she will ask a judge to postpone the election of the next attorney general if the courts are not ready to rule by election day on her challenge of Democrat George Jepsen's eligibility to hold the office.

Dean filed suit Tuesday, saying that Jepsen does not appear to meet the statutory requirements to be attorney general, as recently articulated by the Connecticut Supreme Court.

A Superior Court judge will hold a hearing Thursday morning, giving the courts three working days to consider Dean's claims before the polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

4TH CD GETS AN OBAMA, CLINTON DOUBLEHEADER

Tuesday, Oct. 26 9:20 p.m.

The campaign of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, announced tonight the Bill Clinton will be featured at a rally on Sunday, Oct. 31 in Norwalk.

Doors open at 8 p.m. at the Sono Field House at 365 Martin Luther King Drive.

The previous day, Barack Obama will rally Democrats in Bridgeport.

-- Mark Pazniokas

GUN RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS GROUPS WEIGH IN ON BLUMENTHAL'S SENATE BID

Tuesday, Oct. 26 4:08 p.m.

Two new outside groups have put a message in the mail, one for and one against, U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal.

The National Rifle Association's political action committee has spent nearly $36,000 in the last week on a mailing opposing Blumenthal in his contest against Republican Linda McMahon, according to FEC filings of recent independent expenditures.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare's PAC has doled out about $10,000 to support Blumenthal's bid, the FEC records show. That lobby group, by the way, is headed by former Connecticut Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

RASMUSSEN: BLUMENTHAL UP BY 13 POINTS

Monday, Oct. 25, 10:15 a.m.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll puts Democrat Richard Blumenthal ahead of Republican Linda McMahon 56 percent to 43 percent in their race for the U.S. Senate.

The survey results are a significant improvement for Blumenthal from the last Rasmussen poll, released 10 days ago, showing him with a 5 point lead. A Quinnipiac poll taken about the same time put Blumenthal 11 points ahead.

The new poll says 58 percent of voters view Blumenthal favorably, 42 percent unfavorably. Those numbers are roughly reversed for McMahon, who is seen favorably by 43 percent, unfavorably by 56 percent.

Although the two candidates have similar views on many issues, voters draw a sharp distinction between them, Rasmussen reports. More find McMahon's views "extreme" (48 percent) than "mainstream" (43 percent), and 40 percent say she is "very conservative." Blumenthal's views are considered "extreme" by 32 percent, "mainstream" by 56 percent. Twenty-three percent say he is "very liberal."

The results are based on an automated telephone survey of 750 likely voters done Oct. 24. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.

--Michael Regan

 

BLUMENTHAL CAMPAIGN & PLANNED PARENTHOOD ISO DEGRADING WWE PICS OF WOMEN

Friday Oct. 22 3:23 p.m.

An internal email from Richard Blumenthal's U.S. Senate campaign raises questions about how closely it's coordinating campaign activities with an outside group, in this case the abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood.

Politico has the story and the email, in which a Blumenthal campaign aide seeks "mysoginistic" World Wrestling Entertainment photos of women for Planned Parenthood to use against his opponent, Republican Linda McMahon.

The story comes on the heels of charges from Democrats that McMahon's campaign has been illegally coordinating with WWE, the company she and her husband Vince founded together.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

MCMAHON GETS $5,000 WORTH OF YARD SIGNS; BLUMENTHAL GETS $500,000 WORTH OF TV AD TIME

Friday, Oct. 22 11:30

When a national Tea Party group, FreedomWorks Inc., endorsed Republican Linda McMahon last month, it was unclear just what the organization could offer McMahon's $40 million self-funded campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Now, new campaign finance filings show what the group's backing can bring; FreedomWorks purchased $5,358.50 worth of yard signs for McMahon this week.

Meanwhile, McMahon's opponent, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, is benefiting from yet another infusion of expensive air time paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. FEC records show the committee has spent  $502,500 in the last week on ads, including this one blasting McMahon.

 

--Deirdre Shesgreen

OBAMA TAPES RADIO SPOT FOR HIMES

Thursday, Oct. 21 8:23 p.m.

Rep. Jim Himes is getting yet another political shot in the arm from the White House in the closing days of his tough re-election campaign.

President Barack Obama has taped a radio ad for Himes, who is locked in a tight race with Republican state Sen. Dan Debicella to represent Connecticut's 4th congressional district.

In the ad, Obama-after introducing himself, for those who might not recognize his voice-calls Himes a "thoughtful independent leader" and extols voters in Southwest Connecticut to send him back to Washington for a second term.

The radio spot comes just two days after Obama agreed to campaign in Bridgeport for Himes and other Connecticut Democrats on Oct. 30, just a few days before voters will head to the polls.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DEMOCRATS COMPLAIN ABOUT WWE TV AD WITH LINDA McMAHON

Oct. 21, 2010, 5:15 p.m.

World Wrestling Entertainment is airing a television ad that promotes a children's charity with a video clip featuring Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon, the company's former chief executive.

Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo asked television stations today not to air the ad, which she describes as an illegal corporate contribution by WWE.

The commercial briefly shows McMahon hugging a child. It promotes the Make a Wish Foundation.

The ad is airing on cable systems throughout Connecticut, said the WWE's spokesman, Robert Zimmerman.

"That's where the company feels the inaccuracies about the company have occurred in the last year," he said.

DiNardo also has complained to federal election officials that WWE, which is run by McMahon's husband, is assisting her campaign by launching an outreach effort to WWE fans about criticism of wrestling made by Linda McMahon's opponent, Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

"We ask you to join us in responding to these malicious attacks against the company and you, our viewers," Vince McMahon says in an online video.

It is illegal for a corporation to coordinate independent expenditures with a campaign. In this case, since the McMahon's are married, Democrats say that coordination is inevitable.

The McMahon campaign calls the complaint "baseless."

And the company said it will continue to defend itself.

"World Wrestling Entertainment will not be bullied or intimidated by whining allegations intended to censor our freedom of speech," said Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE.

-- Mark Pazniokas

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY POLL SHOWS BIG LEADS FOR BLUMENTHAL, MALLOY

Oct. 21, 2010 5:10 p.m.

A new poll gives Richard Blumenthal an 18-point lead in the U.S. Senate race and Dan Malloy an 11-point edge in the governor's contest. In fact, it shows every Democratic statewide candidate with a lead:

"For secretary of state, Democrat Denise Merrill (32 percent) leads Republican Jerry Farrell (22 percent), Republican Jeff Wright (20 percent) trails Democrat Denise Nappier (43 percent) for treasurer, and Republican Jack Orchulli (16 percent) trails Democrat Kevin Lembo (33 percent) in the race for comptroller. Finally, in the attorney general race, Democrat George Jepsen (40 percent) leads Republican Martha Dean (28 percent). All of the above statewide offices carry high undecided counts signaling fluidity in all races."

The poll by Suffolk University is based on a telephone survey of 500 voters Oct. 19 and 20. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: RELL TAPES RADIO AD FOR FOLEY

Oct. 21, 2010, 5:08 p.m.

With less than two weeks to do before Election Day, Gov. M. Jodi Rell entered the campaign fray for the first time this week, appearing in a new radio spot for Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Foley.

The lame-duck governor, who is on pace to hand off a $3.26 billion deficit for the next fiscal year to her successor, said in the 60-second spot that "Connecticut needs a governor who is committed to reducing spending, working across party lines and bring jobs to our state."

The ad, which opens with an announcer  identifying Foley as a political outsider and repeating his pledge to "close that deficit without tax hikes," then yields to Rell, whom Foley repeatedly has criticized during the campaign for not cutting enough spending, and for failing to block more than $900 million in tax hikes approved by the Democrat-controlled legislature in 2009.

"Tom's experience and his no-nonsense style will serve Connecticut well at a very important time," Rell added in the commercial. A spokesman for her office declined to comment on why the governor, also a Republican, chose to speak out in the race now with little time left.

Democratic nominee Dan Malloy's campaign said the Rell commercial came as no surprise.

"Tom was a big supporter of (Rell's predecessor) John Rowland and remains close to many political insiders in Hartford," Malloy campaign manager Dan Kelly said. "He was also a major fundraiser for George W. Bush and was even rewarded with an ambassadorship. It's pretty ironic that he calls himself an 'outsider.'"

--Keith M. Phaneuf

 

WWE TELLS VIEWERS THEY ARE UNDER ATTACK IN SENATE RACE

Oct. 19, 2010 9:21

Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment are launching an online campaign to combat the bad press generated about WWE by the U.S. Senate campaign of his wife, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon.

"We ask you to join us in responding to these malicious attacks against the company and you, our viewers," Vince McMahon says in an online video.

McMahon is essentially turning over WWE's web site to his wife's campaign in the final two weeks of the Senate race, since he is rebutting criticisms made against her as he defends his company with a program he is calling, "Stand Up For WWE."

"Let's show the world the power of World Wrestling Entertainment," he says. "Let's stand up for WWE."

Today, two McMahon for Senate ads were wrapped around Vince's message.

Vince McMahon urged that fans contact reporters who write articles deemed biased about the WWE. He also suggested they bring signs to WWE events.

Will there be any spillover to Linda McMahon's campaign in the countdown to the Nov. 2 election?

WWE is staging fan appreciation shows in Hartford on Oct. 30 and Bridgeport on Nov. 2. The Bridgeport show, however, will be a little late to pump up fan enthusiasm. By the time it ends, the polls will be closed

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY POLL SHOWS BIG LEADS FOR BLUMENTHAL, MALLOY

 

FOLEY, MALLOY TO MEET AT 3 P.M. TUESDAY IN TELEVISED DEBATE

Oct. 18, 2010 8:55 P.M.

Republican Tom Foley and Democrat Dan Malloy debate Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Fairfield University.

The forum will be televised live on WFSB-TV, CPTV and WNPR radio and rebroadcast at 7 p.m. on CPTV and WNPR. Live streaming video of the debate also will be available here, courtesy of CPTV.

The moderators will be Dennis House of WFSB and John Dankosky of WNPR.

-- Mark Pazniokas

POLL: A MONTH BEFORE THE ELECTION, AMERICANS STILL SPLIT ON HEALTH CARE REFORM

Americans remain divided on the health reform law, but more voters consider the economy more important in deciding how they will vote, according to poll results released Monday.

The poll was conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been tracking opinion on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act every month.

In the October poll, 40 percent of registered voters said they viewed the law favorably, while 46 percent saw it as unfavorable. Among likely voters - those who said they were "absolutely certain" to vote - 39 percent had favorable views, while 49 percent had unfavorable views.

Views on health reform have remained relatively steady since April. Last month, those who saw the law as favorable had a slight edge.

Only 10 percent of registered voters - and 11 percent of likely voters - said health reform was the most important issue in deciding their vote. Thirty-five percent ranked the economy and jobs first. In addition, "dissatisfaction with government" was the most important issue for more Republicans and Independents than health reform was.

Forty-three percent of those surveyed said candidates were paying too little attention to health care reform. Twenty-one percent said they were paying it too much attention.

The poll was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates Oct. 5 through 10 with a random sample of 1,202 adults 18 and older reached by landline and cell phone. The margin of error for the full sample was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

-- Arielle Levin Becker

 

A COMING OUT WEEKEND FOR BRIDGEPORT'S POLITICAL FELONS

Sunday, Oct. 17 10 p.m.

On Saturday, it was state Sen. Ernie Newton's turn to get back in the public eye, posing for a Connecticut Post photographer as he was sworn in as a registered voter after his release from prison.

Then Joe Ganim, the felon and former mayor, was featured Sunday on WFSB's Face the State. Ganim shrugged off questions about whether he has a political future after doing time for taking kickbacks, saying he is too busy bonding with the family.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

DSCC AD SHINES HARSH LIGHT ON MCMAHON AND WWE

Thursday, Oct. 14 12:11 p.m.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched a new ad in Connecticut today, hammering at Republican Linda McMahon's stewardship of World Wrestling Entertainment. It's the same theme (albeit a much harsher tone) that her opponent, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, took up in their final debate earlier this week.

Campaign finance records show the ad is part of a $580,000 ad buy the Democratic party committee made on Tuesday in Connecticut.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

MCMAHON MAKES INROADS WITH SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES

Thursday, Oct. 14 11:59 a.m.

Despite her support for abortion rights, Linda McMahon has been wooing Connecticut social conservatives. And it's paid off, in at least some quarters.

Leslie Wolfgang, a conservative activist and the wife of Peter Wolfgang, head of the Family Institute of Connecticut, endorsed McMahon in August in a little-noticed Facebook post.

"McMahon will vote for our [judicial] nominees and for incremental restrictions on abortion," Wolfgang wrote in urging her friends to support McMahon. Wolfgang's decision, she said, was based in part on conversations McMahon had with her husband Peter about Supreme Court nominees.

"Will she break her word? Who knows, but hold your nose and vote because, on abortion, she is the best candidate from CT we have," Wolfgang wrote. "I don't like that she is buying a Senate seat. I don't like the perpetual paper mailings. She is probably a RINO. She likes to wrestle women. I. don't. care. All I care about is how she will vote on saving unborn children (i.e. judicial nominees)."

--Deirdre Shesgreen

 

WHERE DOES THE STATE STAND ON THE DEATH PENALTY?

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 8:30 a.m.

A new Quinnipiac poll once again shows some ambivalence among Connecticut voters on the issue of capital punishment.

Asked simply if they favor or oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder, 65 percent are in favor, 23 percent against--similar to the results when Quinnipiac last asked the question three years ago.

But offered the choice of the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole as the punishment for murderers, the results are much closer: 46 percent favor execution, 41 percent life in prison--again, not  far from the 2007 results.

And even some of those who say they oppose the death penalty in general change their minds when it comes to the Cheshire home invasion case that left a mother and her two daughters dead. Asked if Stephen Hayes, recently convicted for his role in the killings, should be executed, 76 percent said yes, 18 percent no.

The major party candidates for governor are split on the issue, with Democrat Dan Malloy saying he would sign a bill repealing the death penalty and Republican Tom Foley saying he would not. Only six percent of voters would base their choice on that issue alone, the poll found.

(Telephone survey of 1,721 registered voters; margin of error +/- 2.4 percentage points.)

--Michael Regan

 

BLUMENTHAL RAISES $1.6 MIL, LOANS HIS CAMPAIGN $500,000

Tuesday Oct. 12, 10:50 p.m.

Rep. Richard Blumenthal has hammered his opponent, Republican Linda McMahon, for her self-funded, multi-million-dollar campaign. But that doesn't mean he's above dipping into his own (albeit leaner) pockets to fuel his U.S. Senate bid.

Blumenthal's campaign announced tonight that he had raised $1.6 million in the 3^rd quarter. He also loaned his campaign $500,000.

That sum still pales in comparison to the $50 million McMahon has vowed to spend, from her own fortune, on her campaign. A McMahon's spokesman said the campaign would not release its 3^rd quarter report before its publicly available, which could be Friday or later.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

McMAHON NIXES FOURTH TELEVISED DEBATE

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4:38 p.m.

Republican Linda McMahon has declined a Senate debate with Democrat Richard Blumenthal that would have been broadcast by WFSB-TV, CPTV and WNPR radio.

John Dankosky of WNPR has the details.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

UCONN CANCELS OCT. 20 GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4:24 p.m.

The University of Connecticut announced Tuesday it has canceled the Oct. 20 gubernatorial forum planned in cooperation with the Connecticut Daily Newspapers Association because Republican candidate Tom Foley declined to attend the event.

Democrat Dan Malloy and Independent Party candidate Thomas Marsh had agreed to participate, but UConn spokesman Michael Kirk said organizers only planned to hold the event if all three candidates were involved.

Foley campaign spokeswoman Liz Osborn said the UConn event conflicted with other events on the campaign schedule, but added that Foley has participated in or committed to 15 debates or other candidate forums.

The debate had been scheduled for 7 p.m., Oct. 20, in the Student Union Theater on the university's main campus in Storrs. No alternative date will be scheduled, Kirk said.

--Keith M. Phaneuf

EX-REP. SHAYS GOES ON THE AIR AGAINST HIMES

Tuesday, Oct. 12 10:35 a.m.

Ex-Rep. Chris Shays is back on the airwaves in Connecticut's 4^th congressional district, even if he's not on the ballot. Shays has cut a TV ad for state Sen. Dan Debicella, a Republican from Shelton who is trying to oust freshman Democratic Rep. Jim Himes.

Himes narrowly wrested the seat from Shays in 2008, and he's tried to adopt Shays' independent label in his showdown with Debicella. The new Shays ad takes direct aim at that strategy.

"Voting with Nancy Pelosi 94 percent of the time does not meet my test for independence, and I can't imagine it meets yours," Shays says, as side-by-side photos of Himes and Pelosi appear on the screen before returning to Shays sitting in a comfy living-room setting, where he makes a pitch for Debicella.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

BLUMENTHAL DEFENDS AGAINST ATTACK THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET

Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010 11:30 p.m.

How's this for a rapid response?

Richard Blumenthal's campaign responded Sunday night to an attack it is anticipating from the campaign of Linda McMahon.

Mindy Myers, Blumenthal's campaign manager, explains in an email:

"Following a torrent of bad press over lowering the minimum wage, not knowing what the minimum wage is, and cutting Social Security by 10 percent, Linda McMahon today tried desperately to change the subject by setting loose her attack dog - the video tracker who follows Dick Blumenthal everywhere.
Today, someone with McMahon's tracker tried to ambush Dick Blumenthal while Blumenthal marched in the New Haven Columbus Day parade. McMahon's person wanted to know, "What is the unemployment rate?"
Blumenthal knew it was someone with McMahon's tracker asking the question and up to no good. So, he brushed him off. Nonetheless, we expect McMahon's attack machine, desperate for ammo, will fire this out. Don't say we didn't warn you. With three weeks to go till the Election, we fully expect more desperate politics as usual from the McMahon campaign.
By the way, Connecticut's unemployment rate is 9.1 percent and the minimum wage in Connecticut is $8.25."

Incidentally, the reference to a 10-percent cut in Social Security is something that The Hill reported Sunday morning, based on a misinterpretation of McMahon's remarks during an interview on ABC's THis week. By 3:30 p.m., The Hill deleted a reference to a Social Security.

-- Mark Pazniokas

CHRISTIE, OTHER HIGH-PROFILE GOP TO STUMP FOR FOLEY

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010, 1:53 p.m.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of three national high profile Republicans coming to Connecticut later this month to bolster Greenwich businessman Tom Foley's bid to win the governor's office here.

New Jersey's first Republican governor in 12 years, Christie heads a list that also includes U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who won this year's special election to complete the term of the late Edward Kennedy, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the second Indian-American elected to Congress and the first non-white governor from that state.

Though a schedule for the campaign stops was not released Thursday, the Foley campaign said all three officials agreed to come to Connecticut within the next two weeks.

"Tom has been campaigning hard and voters are beginning to distinguish the clear difference in direction he offers when compared with Dannel Malloy," Justin Clark, Foley's campaign manager, said, referring to Foley's Democratic rival.

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found the race for governor to be a virtual dead heat, with Malloy leading Foley 45 percent to 42 percent.

--Keith M. Phaneuf

FIRST LADY TO CAMPAIGN FOR BLUMENTHAL

Wednesday, Oct. 6 3:43 p.m.

Michelle Obama is coming to Connecticut on Oct. 18 to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal. No other details are available yet.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., is headling a rally Saturday in Milford for Republican Linda McMahon.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

BLUMENTHAL WIDENS LEAD IN RASMUSSEN POLL

Wednesday, Oct. 6 2:14 p.m.

Rasmussen Reports is showing Democrat Richard Blumenthal with a post-debate bump.

In a poll taken the night after his televised debate with Republican Linda McMahon, Blumenthal led, 54 percent to 43 percent. A week ago, his lead in the Rasmussen was 50 percent to 45 percent.

The poll of likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

NATIONAL DEMS INVESTING MORE IN BLUMENTHAL RACE?

Wednesday, Oct. 6 1:04 p.m.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has reserved another $1.2 million in TV air time in Connecticut for the final three weeks of the hotly-contested Senate race between Richard Blumenthal and Linda McMahon, according to The Fix, a Washington Post blog. That comes on top of the nearly $500,000 the DSCC laid out earlier this week to boost Blumenthal's campaign.

DSCC spokeswoman Deirdre Murphy would not comment on the report.

The DSCC ad buy might be a just-in-case move, staking claim to some TV time before it's all snapped up by McMahon and Connecticut's two gubernatorial candidates. Right now, the Connecticut race looks close, but if Blumenthal secures a more comfortable lead in the polls, the DSCC could always shift those funds to another contest.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

FIRST CALIGIURI AD FOLLOWS GOP PLAYBOOK

Tuesday, Oct. 5 9:57 p.m.

In his first campaign ad, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri is closely following the Republican playbook in his bid to oust Rep. Chris Murphy, the incumbent Democrat in Connecticut's 5^th District. Highlight the bad economy, and tie the incumbent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Check it out here.

Caligiuri's campaign didn't respond to questions about how much they were spending on this first spot or how long it would air.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DELAURO'S LEADERSHIP PAC GETS SOME UNFLATTERING ATTENTION

Tuesday, Oct. 5 1:06 p.m.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro's leadership PAC is among those highlighted in a new report, "Political Inaction Committees," by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan investigative group in Washington.

The center notes that DeLauro's PAC, Committee for a Democratic Future, spends most of its money on catering expenses for invitation-only "policy dinners" that she and her husband host at their Capitol Hill home, rather than on donations to other congressional candidates.

The center raises questions about whether those expenses are valid, given that such PACs are supposed to help elect federal candidates. Click here to read the Mirror's story on DeLauro's committee and other Connecticut lawmakers' leadership PACs.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

NEW AD FROM NATIONAL DEMS BLASTS MCMAHON'S RECORD AT WWE

Sunday, Oct. 3 9:48 p.m.

National Democrats have officially weighed in to the U.S. Senate race with a new ad, on the air starting today, blasting Republican Linda McMahon's record as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.

The spot, which doesn't mention her opponent Democrat Richard Blumenthal, makes clear that Democrats hope the current of voter anger coursing through the electorate can be trained as much on business executives as on the political establishment.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DEBICELLA, CALIGIURI IN LINE FOR HELP FOR NATIONAL GOP?

Friday, Oct. 1 9:38 a.m.

It may sound more like a motorcycle gang than a political club, but state Sens. Dan Debicella and Sam Caligiuri have both just joined the "Young Guns."

Launched by the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Young Guns program includes promising GOP challengers in this year's House contests. Debicella and Caligiuri are the Republican candidates vying to oust Democratic incumbents in Connecticut's 4^th and 5^th districts respectively.

So what does it actually mean to be a Young Gun? Debicella and others on the list obviously hope it means money-i.e., that the NRCC will buy TV ads to bolster their campaigns or otherwise channel resources into House contests. But that's not guaranteed.

"There's no specific benefit," said Greg Blair, an NRCC spokesman. Except of course the cool name.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

SENATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE BUYS AIR TIME FOR BLUMENTHAL

Thursday, Sept. 30 10:52 p.m.

Democrats in Washington are officially worried about Connecticut's U.S. Senate showdown between Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Republican Linda McMahon.

So much so that the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has purchased $300,000 of TV air time to run ads boosting Blumenthal's campaign, according to POLITICO.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

THE TAX CUT DEBATE CAN WAIT

Thursday, Sept. 30 1:37 p.m.

There weren't any complaints from Connecticut's delegation about Congress's fast exit from Washington this week, even if that meant ending with a whimper instead of a bang. Even those who had been looking forward to a big political brawl over renewing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy said they weren't disappointed that that fight fizzled.

Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5^th District, brushed off questions about whether the Democrats' message has been muddled by the delayed tax-cut debate. "There's some danger in having that vote 30 days before an election," when everyone is in campaign overdrive, said Murphy, who supported nixing the upper-end tax cuts.

On the other side of the issue, Rep. Jim Himes, D-4^th District, said he would have preferred to have the vote before Nov. 2, because a delay adds to the current economic uncertainly. He favored extending all the Bush tax cuts.

But like Murphy, Himes said he wasn't worried that Congress's punt on tax cuts would keep a hot issue alive during an already-fraught election season. "I haven't thought about the politics of this," he asserted.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

SEN. DODD HAPPY TO BE SITTING THIS ONE OUT

Wednesday, Sept. 29 11:03 p.m.

Sen. Christopher Dodd says he's thrilled not to be facing a very angry electorate this November and to instead be pondering other, less angst-ridden, opportunities this fall as he heads toward retirement.

"I look clairvoyant," Dodd told the Washington Economics Club at a swanky dinner in downtown Washington on Wednesday night.  "The only second thoughts I've had [about the decision to retire] are about how brilliant the first thought was."

The event was supposed to focus on the Wall Street overhaul Dodd helped craft and shepherd through the Senate earlier this summer. But it veered into many other subjects, including whether his two daughters were pleased or disappointed their father would no longer be a U.S. senator come January 2011.

Dodd said his five-year-old was happy, mainly because she hoped his post-congressional career might include opening an ice-cream shop. His nine-year-old, who just made the cut in the Washington Ballet, couldn't care less. "She just wants to be in the nutcracker," Dodd said.

As for his own plans, Dodd was mum, saying he still had not decided what he would do come January.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DODD GETS SOME FINAL EXPOSURE

Wednesday Sept. 29 3:21 p.m.

Sen. Christopher Dodd has a photographer trailing his every last move in the U.S. Senate, documenting the final days of his 30-year political career.

Former Hartford Courant photographer Brad Clift is spending the next few days, from dawn 'til dusk, with Dodd and his family, for a photo book they commissioned marking the end of Dodd's time in the U.S. Senate.

"I wish I got this kind of access when I was a journalist," Clift cracked as he waited for Dodd to come out of a senators-only lunch meeting Wednesday.

Clift said the book idea was actually his, but the Dodds readily agreed. "It's a mutal thing, but the person who is really behind it all is Jackie," Clift said, referring to Dodd's wife. "Because she understands the importance of trying to preserve his legacy."

Clift said he's not sure if they will try to publish it, or just keep it for their own personal record. Whoever sees it, though, will miss the photo of Dodd coming out of today's lunch.

The senator apparently took a different route, leaving Clift and Dodd's press secretary scrambling to track him down.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

A ONE-DAY WORK-WEEK FOR CONGRESS?

Wednesday, Sept. 29 2:42 p.m.

Only in Washington can Wednesday mark both the beginning and the end of the work week. House members just came back into town this morning for the first votes of the week, and they're hoping to wrap up legislative business by tonight.

While the Capitol has been paralyzed in partisan gridlock on everything from tax cuts to food safety, it seems they have found common ground on the benefits of leaving Washington at super-speed. With an increasingly angry and volatile electorate, all incumbents would prefer to be back in their districts campaigning.

"Getting back home is the most important thing for me," said Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5^th District, said today, as he braced for a very long day and a lightening quick week.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

RASMUSSEN: MALLOY UP BY 10 POINTS

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 11:30 a.m.

Democrat Dan Malloy a 10-percentage point lead over Republican Tom Foley in the governor's race in a Rassmussen Reports' poll released today.

Malloy is favored by 50 percent of voters, compared to 40 percent for Foley.

The poll is first by Rasmussen in which Foley's support has emerged from the 30s.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

FOLEY: JUMPS INTO MIDDLETOWN DEBATE

Monday, September 27, 2010

Republican gubernatorial contender Tom Foley, whose refusal to participate in three Fairfield County debates planned by the League of Women voters led to their cancelation last week, has added a forum to his schedule.

The Foley campaign confirmed Monday afternoon that the Greenwich businessman would participate in Tuesday's forum in Middletown sponsored by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now.

Foley originally hadn't accepted the coalition's invitation to debate, but campaign spokeswoman Liz Osborn issued a brief statement Monday indicating Foley had rearranged his schedule and would be available for the ConnCAN forum.

"We're very pleased that all three of the gubernatorial candidates have chosen to come," Alex Johnston, chief executive officer of the private, nonprofit education advocacy group, said Monday. "I think it is a statement of just how important an issue public education is."

"This is decisive leadership?" Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Malloy said of Foley's decision. "I've accepted every invitation to every debate."

Independent Party nominee Tom Marsh, who also is participating in the forum, could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

The forum, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Macdonough Elementary School in Middletown, will be streamed live on the ConnCAN internet site at http://www.conncan.org/2010-gubernatorial-candidate-forum-public-education.

The League of Women Voters announced late last week that it was canceling October forums planned in cooperation with the Hearst Newspapers and WABC for Bridgeport, Stamford and Danbury, since Foley never responded to those invitations.

Osborn said last week that "these three debates just didn't fit into Tom's schedule,' but Foley has agreed to a dozen other gubernatorial forums, including four televised debates.

--Keith M. Phaneuf

 

RASMUSSEN: BLUMENTHAL UP BY 5 IN SENATE RACE

Monday, September 27 12:55 p.m.

Democrat Richard Blumenthal has a five-percentage point lead over Republican Linda McMahon in their U.S. Senate race, according a Rasmussen Reports poll out today.

Rasmussen has Blumenthal leading 50 percent to 45 percent, the tightest margin in their surveys.

Quinnipiac University will post its new Senate poll tomorrow. In a Quinnipiac poll of likely voters two weeks ago, Blumenthal led by 6 points.

-- Mark Pazniokas

 

 

REP. COURTNEY TOUTS HIS "NO" VOTES IN NEW TV AD

Monday, September 27 12:45 p.m.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2^nd District, has just joined an increasingly popular club: Democratic incumbents emphasizing their independence and striving for an "I'm-not-of-Washington" message in this volatile campaign season.

In his first ad this election, Courtney focuses on his votes against the bank bailout, officially known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, to argue that he's no toe-the-line Democrat. He's not the only politician who thinks it's better to talk about what he voted against, rather than what he voted for.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

NEW Q POLLS START TUESDAY WITH CT SENATE

Monday, September 27 10:41 a.m.

Quinnipiac University will stir the pot again this week, releasing a Senate poll Tuesday.

Based on their typical practice, a gubernatorial poll can be expected Wednesday.

We should have the numbers posted by 7 a.m.

 

DEBICELLA ON HOUSE GOP'S NEW "PLEDGE FOR AMERICA": YES & MAYBE?

Thursday, September 23 10:07 p.m.

I like it, but don't expect me to vote for it. At least not all of it. That seems to be the message from state Sen. Dan Debicella, the Republican hoping to oust U.S. Rep Jim Himes, D-4^th District, in response to the new agenda outlined by House Republican leaders today.

The GOP's "Pledge to America" vows that, if Republicans win control of the House, they will repeal the health care law,  cut government spending (except when it comes to defense), and crack down on illegal immigration, among other things.

Debicella said he "lauded" the new proposals, but would "remain independent" of any national platform. He offered no specifics about which elements of the 48-page document that he would endorse or reject.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

MCMAHON GETS TEA PARTY ENDORSEMENT, DEMOCRATS TOUT THE NEWS

Thursday, Sept. 23 9:13 p.m.

Democrats might be more excited about the Tea Party's endorsement of Republican Linda McMahon than the GOP candidate herself.

FreedomWorks, a Washington-based Tea Party group, officially weighed in on behalf of Republican Senate nominee McMahon today, saying she was the clear "choice for limited government" in the Connecticut contest that pits her against Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

FreedomWorks said the endorsement would mean help with get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as direct mail, yard signs, phone banks and other campaign basics before Nov. 2. Of course, the McMahon camp has all of that, and more, covered quite well.

While the McMahon campaign didn't put out any announcement, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sure did. "With the out of state, tea party affiliated organization FreedomWorks set to endorse her ... Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon's pandering has hit a new high," the news release blared. The "pandering" at issue was McMahon's comments to a group of Tea Party activists that she would be open to "voting to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency."

Deirdre Murphy, a DSCC spokeswoman, said: "McMahon should immediately disclose what other extreme promises she has made to the tea party."

--Deirdre Shesgreen

CONGRESS STILL FIGHTING OVER HEALTH CARE

Thursday, Sept. 23 10:38 a.m.

Lawmakers in Washington aren't just gridlocked over their unfinished business, such as tax cuts, food safety, and spending measures. They're also still fighting over bills passed months ago.

That was crystal clear today at a dueling news conferences highlighting the six-month anniversary of the sweeping health care reform law. Democrats like Connecticut's Christopher Dodd, who shepherded the bill through the Senate, were eager to draw attention to several popular provisions set to go into effect at this six-month mark.

"Today is more than just a birthday or a celebration day" for the health measure, Dodd said at a news conference with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and others. It's a moment when health care will begin to change for all Americans, he said.

"I realize it's still not popular with most Americans," Dodd added. "But it will make a difference in their lives."

Dodd's comments come just as House Republicans were unveiling their agenda, called a "Pledge to America," for the fall elections. The No. 1 proposal: repeal the health law.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

KEZER TO RUN DEAN'S CAMPAIGN FOR STATE AG

Wednesday, Sept. 22 12:32

Former Secretary of the State Pauline R. Kezer joined Avon Republican Martha Dean's effort to become attorney general today, assuming the post of campaign director.

Kezer, an Old Saybrook Republican who served as Connecticut's chief elections official from 1991 through 1994, also waged an unsuccessful primary in the latter year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, losing to John G. Rowland.

"I'm delighted and honored that Pauline is joining my campaign," Dean said. "Pauline knows what it takes to win a state-wide election and what it takes to run an important state office successfully. She is a skilled and experienced holder of high elected office in Connecticut. She is also a strong woman of supreme integrity who is well-respected all across Connecticut."

Kezer, who served as vice chairwoman of the state party from 1987 to 1989, said she is "energized and excited" to join Dean's campaign. "Martha's combination of incredible intelligence, excellent legal skills, and over two decades of active legal experience will make her an outstanding Attorney General."

With her 1990 victory, Kezer became the first Republican to win a constitutional office since Thomas Meskill was elected governor in 1970. She also served in the General Assembly from 1979 through 1986

Kezer currently teaches a course on Women, Advocacy, and Political Change at Central Connecticut State University and is a trustee and vice president of The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook.

--Keith M. Phaneuf

 

NO LADY GAGA TWEETS FOR LIEBERMAN

Monday, Sept. 20 9:36

You wouldn't necessarily know that Sen. Joseph Lieberman is in the middle of the fray over Don't Ask, Don't Tell. After all, he hasn't gotten any tweets from Lady Gaga, the pop singer who is creating political waves with her push for repeal of the Pentagon's ban on gays serving openly in the military.

Last week, she tweeted her supporters, urging them to call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and press for a vote on repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, of which Lieberman is a lead sponsor. But Lieberman seemed a little flummoxed when asked if he'd heard from Lady Gaga on the issue. No, he said, adding that just the prospect of uttering her name and Reid's in the same sentence was "fun" and "therapeutic."

--Deirdre Shesgreen

REP. MURPHY, YOUR NEIGHBOR THE DEFICIT HAWK?

 

Saturday, Sept. 18th 10:14 p.m.

More jobs and less spending. That's the political message Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5^th District, is trying to sell in his first political ad of the season.

Murphy's contest against state Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury hasn't gotten as much attention as other state contests. But he's not running in a perfectly safe district either.

So it's no wonder this ad  highlights Murphy's vote against the Democratic budget plan (even using the "deficit hawk" label) and his push for legislation to help U.S. manufacturers. Then there's the Fred Rogers' average-neighbor theme, although no cardigans, thank goodness.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

DODD, DELAURO SEE CONSUMER ADVOCATE APPOINTEE DIFFERENTLY

Saturday, Sept. 18 9:16 p.m.

Sen. Christopher Dodd and Rep. Rosa DeLauro don't usually part ways on political questions. But the president's appointment of Elizabeth Warren to help set up the new consumer protection agency had DeLauro cheering, while Dodd wasn't quite so pleased.

Warren would protect consumers from "the greed and excess that was the downfall of our economy," DeLauro said in a statement after the White House announced that Warren, the outspoken Harvard professor, would oversee the creation of the powerful new consumer watchdog agency.

Dodd, meanwhile, offered a few words of praise for Warren and then got to the question still percolating around Washington: whether Warren will end up not just setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau but also running it. The White House's appointment of Warren as a special adviser was seen as a way to give Warren outsized influence over the CFPB, while still avoiding a possibly bruising confirmation battle that would have come by nominating her as its chief.

Dodd said that while Warren was a fine choice to get things rolling, he did not see this announcement as the be-all end-all news, as so many liberal groups and Warren backers (like DeLauro) did. "Until a director is at the helm, this new bureau will not have the teeth that it needs to put strong protections in place, and could leave the entire bureau in jeopardy," Dodd said.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

BYSIEWICZ DATABASE INVESTIGATION ENDS

Friday, September 17 6:08 p.m.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz says she has been notified that the chief state's attorney, Kevin Kane, has concluded his investigation of a state database that Bysiewicz seemed to maintain, at least in part, for personal political purposes.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal referred the matter to Kane in August after concluding that Bysiewicz kept background information on political personalities and voters who came into contact with Bysiewicz in a state data base whose primary use seemed to be political intelligence.

Her statement:

 

"Today our office received a letter from the Chief State's Attorney confirming that no investigation by his office was necessary with respect to the state database. The Chief State's Attorney's letter confirms the conclusion of the Attorney General's report of August 5, 2010 that there was no violation of the law.

"This also confirms what we have said all along: that the database we use is a very valuable tool to provide constituent service and manage the many Constitutional and statutory functions of this office. We pleased that this matter is now concluded."

-- Mark Pazniokas

WELL, THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG

Friday, September 17 12:11 p.m.

Linda McMahon's campaign staff quickly jumped on a compliment Richard Blumenthal paid to President Obama for his fundraising speech last night. After Obama's talk, Blumenthal told him, "Great job."

In a press release today, the McMahon campaign took the remark as though Blumenthal was referring to the Obama presidency.

It also included a photo of Blumenthal giving the president a thumb's up.

How quickly will that be in a mailer or a TV commercial?

-- Mark Pazniokas

GOP, NOT DEMS, PUBLICIZE PELOSI VISIT TO HARTFORD

Friday, September 17 11:21 a.m.

The ever-helpful Republican State Chairman Chris Healy is drawing attention to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Hartford today for a fundraiser with U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st Dsitrict.

The Democrats, not so much.

No announcement by Larson or the Connecticut Democrats.

-- Mark Pazniokas

LAMONT'S PRESS AIDE BACK ON CAPITOL HILL

Friday, September 17 11:05 a.m.

Justine Sessions, who left the staff of retiring Sen. Christopher J. Dodd to handle communications for Ned Lamont's gubernatorial run, is back on Capitol Hill.

The Connecticut native landed as the press secretary for the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is chaired by Tom Harkins of Iowa.

Lamont's oldest daughter, Emily Lamont, is sticking with campaign work for a bit. She is working for the state Senate campaign of state Rep. Karen Jarmoc of Enfield.

-- Mark Pazniokas

TOM FOLEY AT OBAMA FUNDRAISER HOTEL

Friday, September 17 11:00 a.m.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley caused a minor buzz yesterday when he was seen entering the Stamford Marriott, just as Democratic donors were lining up for the Richard Blumenthal fundraiser hosted by President Obama.

No, he's not playing both sides.

Foley had an appointment to meet a reporter in the lobby for a campaign interview.

-- Mark Pazniokas

A TOSS-UP SENATE RACE? COOK SAYS YES, SILVER NO.

Thursday, September 16 5:25 p.m.

The showdown between Republican Linda McMahon and Democrat Dick Blumenthal has just gotten a  nudge into a high-profile class of U.S. Senate contest: the Toss-up.

The closely-watched Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan publication that tracks House and Senate races across the country, today moved the Connecticut race from its "lean Democratic" category to its "toss-up" rankings, a switch that could attract more national attention and interest  to this already hot contest.

The Cook Report's Jennifer Duffy notes, in explaining the decision, that McMahon has made slow but steady progress in the polls, including the most recent Quinnipiac University survey which shows her just six points behind Blumenthal.

But political statistician and analyst Nate Silver, at NYT's FiveThirtyEight blog, notes that both the Q-poll and a Rasmussen survey done at the same time show a small pool of undecided voters--no surprise, given Blumenthal's long and well-publicized career and McMahon's multi-million-dollar ad campaign. That suggests that there isn't much room for McMahon to gain ground.

"Although the race is certainly close, its outcome is perhaps not all that uncertain," Silver concludes.

--Deirdre Shesgreen

MALLOY MAKES NICE WITH NEW HAVEN MACHINE

September 16, 2010 10 a.m.

There was no public hug between Dan Malloy and John DeStefano, but Malloy did mingle last night with a New Haven Democratic organization that stiffed him at the convention and primary. The New Haven Independent has the details.

Malloy and DeStefano, the New Haven mayor, were rivals for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006. Malloy was lucky enough to narrowly lose a primary to DeStefano, saving him from a landslide defeat by Jodi Rell.

This year, DeStefano and the Democratic organization backed Ned Lamont. Malloy still carried the city in the primary.

-- Mark Pazniokas

DELAURO'S HUSBAND TRIES TO REASSURE JITTERY HOUSE DEMOCRATS ON TAX CUTS

September 14, 2010 10:59 p.m.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro's husband, pollster Stan Greenberg, was the featured speaker (i.e. pep rally director) at Tuesday's House Democratic Caucus meeting.

His task? Trying to keep any more Democrats from jumping ship on the looming question of whether to let the high-end Bush tax cuts expire at the end of this year.

Greenberg's poll conclude that his wife's position on this politically dicey question is not just good policy, as DeLauro argues, but it's also good politics; his survey indicates that letting the high-end breaks lapse is popular among independents-those critical swing voters who could determine whether Democrats maintain control of the House after November, or not.

Greenberg's talk, given behind closed doors at the Democrats' weekly strategy session, was likely targeted to still wavering House Democrats, as leaders scramble to figure out how to move forward on this issue. It's unlikely his presentation carried a lot of sway with lawmakers like Jim Himes, Connecticut's 4^th District Democrat who has said he will support extending all the Bush-era breaks, even for those making more than $200,000. Himes declined to comment on the private session.

-- Deirdre Shesgreen

NERVOUS ABOUT CAMPAIGNS, CONGRESS MAY LEAVE EARLY

September 14, 2010 5 p.m.

Members of Congress hadn't even come back to Washington yet before they started talking about leaving again-and sooner than scheduled.

Already, there's not much time for Congress to rack up any big accomplishments, with just about four weeks between today's official re-start date and the Oct. 8 target for adjournment. But with many incumbents increasingly jittery about the November elections and eager to get back home to campaign, there's a push to shave off as much as a week of that already-crunched work period.

"I would rather be home, no question about it, for political reasons and family reasons," said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2^nd District, as he was driving from the airport in Washington to the Capitol.

But, Courtney added, if it seemed like Congress could really make progress on key bills, such as a small business lending measure now pending in the Senate or a health care proposal he's hoping to push forward, then there is no reason to rush back to the campaign trail.

"If we've got a realistic chance of making progress on these bills, then I think our no. 1 task is to do our job down here and we'll juggle our political" needs in between legislative responsibilities, he said.

Of course, Courtney is in a safer district than many of his Democratic colleagues, so don't be surprised if his opinion doesn't carry the day in D.C.

-- Deirdre Shesgreen

FOLEY LOANS CAMPAIGN ANOTHER $1 MILLION

September 13, 2010 7 p.m.

Republican Tom Foley has loaned his campaign for governor another $1 million, raising his personal stake in the race to $4 million.

He now has raised nearly $4.9 million and spent nearly $4.6 million.

Foley recently promised he will not be outspent by Democrat Dan Malloy, who has received $6 million in public financing for the general-election campaign and $2.5 million for the primary.

Malloy has raised $8.7 million and spent $3 million.

Ned Lamont spent $9.5 million, including $9 million of his own money, in his losing bid for the Democratic nomination.

-- Mark Pazniokas

RASMUSSEN: FOLEY TIGHTENS RACE WITH MALLOY

September 13, 12:20 p.m.

Democrat Dan Malloy's lead over Republican Tom Foley in the Rasmussen Reports poll has shrunk from 15 percentage points a month ago to seven points in a survey released today.

The new survey prompted Rasmussen to move the Connecticut governor's race from "Solid Democrat" to "Leans Democrat," with Malloy leading 46 percent to 39 percent, with 12 percent undecided and three percent supporting others.

The one-day telephone survey of 500 voters was conducted Sept. 9. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Malloy and Foley each were supported by about 75 percent of their own party members, and they are splitting the unaffiliated vote, according to Rasmussen.

--Mark Pazniokas

RASMUSSEN: BLUMENTHAL UP BY 9 POINTS

September 10, 2010 4 p.m.

A Rasmussen Reports survey released this afternoon has Democrat Richard Blumenthal leading Republican Linda McMahon in the U.S. Senate race, 53 percent to 44 percent.

Last month, Blumenthal led, 47 percent to 40 percent.

The new poll is the first in which Rasmussen includes "leaners," people who express no initial preference until pushed. Without leaners, Blumenthal's lead was 51 percent to 43 percent.

Blumenthal is also viewed more favorably than McMahon.

Blumenthal is viewed favorably by 62 percent and unfavorably by 38 percent, while McMahon's is viewed favorably and unfavorably by an equal percentage of voters - 49 percent.

Thirty-one percent view Blumenthal very favorably, while 20 percent view him very unfavorably. McMahon is viewed very favorably by 19 percent, compared to 27 percent who view her very unfavorably.

The poll of 500 likely voters was conducted September 9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

-- Mark Pazniokas

DEBICELLA ATTACKS HIMES IN TV AD

September 10, 2010 10:15 a.m.

Republican Dan Debicella portrays U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, in a TV ad released today as "a rubber stamp" for "the failed policies of the past two years."

It is illustrated with the obligatory unflattering photo of Himes, as well as a shot of the incumbent side by side with Sen. Christopher Dodd. Interestingly, there is no mention of Barack Obama or even the Democratic majority, just an oblique reference to "past two years."

Here is the script:

By rubber stamping the failed policies of the past two years, Jim Himes has failed Fairfield County families.

A stimulus package that has done nothing to reduce unemployment.

A trillion dollar spending binge that leaves our families with more debt.

Record new taxes that will hit our families on January 1.

Fairfield County families can not afford a congressman who just rubber stamps a failed Washington agenda.

I'm Dan Debicella and I approved this message because like you, I believe there's a better way.

-- Mark Pazniokas

COOK REPORT GIVES DEBICELLA A BOOST IN 4TH CD

September 9, 2010 4:15 p.m.

Normally, getting an "upgrade" means a bigger rental car or more leg room on a long airplane flight. But in Washington, it's also political term, and today, Republican Dan Debicella saw his contest against Democrat Rep. Jim Himes upgraded one notch on a closely-watched list of competitive House races around the country.

The Cook Political Report's House editor, David Wasserman, moved the 4^th District match-up between Himes, a freshman who wrested the seat from GOP Rep. Chris Shays in 2008, and Debicella, a state senator from Shelton, from "likely" to stay in Democratic hands to a "lean" Democratic contest. Three other rankings (Congressional Quarterly, the Rothenberg Political Report, and Politico) still have Himes ranked as relatively safe.

While the Cook Report move might seem incremental, it could help persuade Republican party strategists in D.C. to pour some cash into the race on behalf of Debicella, who as of the last campaign finance reports, had about $500,000 in the bank compared to $1.8 million for Himes.

Explaining the switch, Wasserman wrote that while Himes was making a play for independents and "soft Democrats" who had previously supported Shays, the Democrat now faces the prospect of low Democratic turnout in the 4^th District's key cities, like Bridgeport. And Debicella's $500,000 bank account means he'll be able to make an "ample" case for his candidacy on TV and through mailings.

He still gives Himes a "slight edge," but says Shays' old supporters will be key.

Debicella's campaign quickly blasted out the news in an email marked urgent, but the Himes' folks were non-plussed. "Dan Debicella can talk about national attention all he wants, but he's just not generating the excitement his email program tries to fabricate," said campaign manager Mark Henson.

-- Deirdre Shesgreen

ROMNEY INDIRECTLY CHIDES McMAHON

September 9, 2010 11:30 A.M.

GREENWICH - Mitt Romney offered a far different view today than Linda McMahon's declaration that the campaign trail is no place for a discussion of how to control the cost of federal entitlement programs.

In town to headline a rally and fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, the once and likely future presidential candidate said that campaigns must address Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

"I think in this environment, the American people are ready for the truth, that they recognize that we can't keep on the path we've been on forever and that it potentially jeopardizes the future of the nation," Romney said.

He said candidates should go back to Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, in which he used flip charts to review ways of cutting federal spending.

"I think we're going to have to have that kind of honesty in campaigns across the country," Romney said.

McMahon, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, has said that a discussion of entitlement programs must be bipartisan and take place away from the hothouse atmosphere of a campaign.

Foley said he expected Romney's visit would help him raise $50,000.

-- Mark Pazniokas

ROMNEY HEADLINES RALLY WITH FOLEY

Thursday, September 9, 2010 7:30 a.m.

The 2012 race for president comes to Connecticut today.

Mitt Romney, the runner up to John McCain for the GOP nomination two years ago, will be in Greenwich for a mid-morning, weekday rally and fundraiser with Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Foley.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is one of several likely presidential candidates making the early rounds, offering aid that they hope will turn into chits to be cashed next year.

Despite living next door, he lost here to McCain in the state's presidential primary.

-- Mark Pazniokas

FOLEY, MALLOY PLEDGE TO CLOSE GENDER GAP

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 12:30 P.M.

Democrat Dan Malloy and Republican Tom Foley have pledged to make their best effort at naming women to half of about 75 high-level jobs in the next administration.

It seems like an obvious political promise for the two major-party gubernatorial candidates to make - given that a higher proportion of women generally turn out to vote than men.

But candidates in other states have balked at making the pledge, said Teresa Younger, the executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.

The PCSW is part of a national coalition to extract a promise of gubernatorial candidates to move toward gender parity, something that has been largely achieved in medical and law schools, but has eluded state service and politics.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has placed women in 37 percent of the 75 high-level jobs identified by the commission, which makes the state a leader in getting more women involved in governmental careers, Younger said.

"She set a very high bar," Younger said today after an event to publicize the pledges by Foley and Malloy.

Rell named women to top posts that had been dominated by men, including the commissioners of correction and economic development.

As part of the new effort, the commission is gathering resumes for consideration by the next governor, who will take office in January. More information about the effort, called ConnGAP, and how to submit a resume is available online.

-- Mark Pazniokas

CALIGIURI SAYS HE TRAILS BY 1 POINT IN HIS POLL

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 1:30 p.m.

Sam Caligiuri says his internal polling in the 5th Congressional District shows him in nearly a dead-heat with the two-term Democratic inumbent, Chris Murphy.

A poll by National Research has Murphy over Caligiuri, the Republican nominee, 40 percent to 39 percent.

Caligiuri's base line poll a year ago was 49 percent to 28 percent.

The poll of 400 likely voters was conducted Aug. 30 and 31.

-- Mark Pazniokas

McMAHON: SCIENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE 'IS EVOLVING'

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Linda McMahon isn't convinced that human activity is a cause of climate change.

"I think the science behind climate change is evolving and has yet to be totally confirmed for me," McMahon said Monday. "Do we human beings emit carbon into the atmosphere? Sure, we do."

But McMahon, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, said she is unsure of its significance - a stance that puts her at odds with the Democratic nominee, Richard Blumenthal.

According to his campaign, Blumenthal "recognizes the overwhelming scientific consensus that significant climate disruption is occurring as the result of human activity, and that we must act to confront this challenge and preserve our environment."

As far as solutions?

Neither supports "cap-and-trade" or any other form of a carbon tax that would make alternative energy sources more economically competitive.

Each marched Monday in the Labor Day parade in Newtown.

**

While the candidates steered clear of each other, their supporters engaged in some impromptu exchanges on the parade route.

After dozens of Blumenthal supporters chanted his name, Robin Ives yelled, "Sucks."

A Blumenthal partisan pointed to her McMahon sign and said he hoped it wasn't made in China, like the toys sold by her company, World Wrestling Entertainment.

"I don't have any problems with things from China," Ives shouted back. "That's where I got my daughter.

Watching the exchange was her 9-year-old daughter, Jadyn.

**

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who lives in neighboring Brookfield, led the parade, accompanied by her husband, Lou, and their children and grandchildren.

"This is the first time I have the grandkids here at one time," Rell said.

The governor has three grandchildren and one grandchild on the way - due two days after Election Day.

Rell said she intends to campaign for Republicans who seek her help.

**

Dan Malloy, the Democrat who hopes to succeed Rell, said he is ready for an attack from his Republican opponent, Tom Foley.

"He has to go negative. We know that," Malloy said. "He's playing with fire when he does."

Malloy has a $6 million campaign treasury, thanks to public financing.

"It's nice to know we'll have the resources necessary to get the message out," Malloy said.

One of Foley's likely attack lines: Malloy has public financing, which the legislature doubled recently.

"Dan Malloy now has $6 million of taxpayer money," Foley said. "That's really inexcusable, that the legislature would go and give him additional money after they saw the results of the primary."

**

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz arrived solo at the Labor Day parade.

She ended up marching with Malloy and his running mate, Nancy Wyman.

-- Mark Pazniokas