Sen. Chris Dodd won’t seek reelection
Politico
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) plans to announce Wednesday that he will retire from the Senate at the end of the year, capping a 30-year career where he rose to become one of the chamber’s most influential members, several Democratic sources told POLITICO Tuesday night.
Dodd’s decision to retire is, at first glance, a blessing to Senate Democrats who worried they would have trouble holding the seat with the embattled senator in the race. Now Democrats expect that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run in Dodd’s place, giving the party a stronger nominee in a race that was widely believed to be a toss-up.
A top national Democrat said Blumenthal’s candidacy was all but certain. “He’s totally in,” said the Democrat.
News of Dodd’s plans, first reported by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, came on the heels of the stunning announcement Tuesday that another Democrat, Sen. Byron Dorgan, would not run for reelection in North Dakota, likely giving the GOP an advantage for his seat.
The news that Dodd would not seek re-election capped a day of Democratic retirements. Aside from Dodd and Dorgan, it was revealed that Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter would not run for re-election in 2010. And in Michigan, Lt. Gov. John Cherry announced Tuesday that he would be forgoing a run for governor.
Dodd has faced months of tough press coverage surrounding his Countrywide FInancial mortgages, which followed his ill-fated decision to move his family to Iowa for his 2008 presidential run. Earlier this year, the Senate Ethics Committee cleared him of any wrongdoing related to Countrywide.
Wild Thing’s comment……
GOOD this is good news!
It’s too bad they’re retiring. I want to see them squirm on election night when they lose their butts publicly. RINOs too!
I’m not saying this isn’t good news, because it is; I’m just asking: where is the other hand, and what is it doing?
Oh, Connecticut AG Richard Bloomenthal is running in Dodd’s place. There’s one thing the other hand is doing.
This is both good and bad news.
The good news is obvious; no longer a senator
The bad news is he will still be in Washington as a lobbyist or something else, working to destroy the fabric of this nation behind the scenes.
He’s buying up all of the New England real estate that’s available because he gets all of those great INTEREST RATE deals, eh? He may run ACORN and FANNIE MAE and FREDDIE MAC too? Nelson gets him free health bennies in Nebraska as well!
– What a CCC(P)ountry.
I hope this is the beginning of a lot of Democrat retirements. Like Lynn, I wish these were election losses, but I’ll take them anyway they come.
On Drudge there are 5 so far. only need 55 to go.
Yes me too, it is a a double feeling, I am thrilled they are leaving, but I sooo much want
them BEAT right out of the race and that feeling of we do not want you to be huge with them.
One good thing is Dodd has been doing horrible
so that is why he is leaving he knows this time he cannot win.
Thank you all for your input about this.
Thanks Mark too for the tip about Drudge has a few more names.
I hear they have had to order now a fleet of busses to accomodate all those who associated blindly with the jerk and all he stood for. One bus just was not big enough! Which one was more of a liability to the other?? just askn’….