Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 6, 2010

U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, D-Connecticut, announced he won't seek re-election in November

Another Democrat has announced that he will be retiring. Controversial senator from Connecticut Chris Dodd announced he won’t be running for re-election in November, which is good news for Connecticut.

Dismal poll numbers will do that… and Dodd’s numbers are about as terrible as they can get (unless you look at Nevada’s Harry Reid’s poll numbers, of course). I’ve no proof, but suspect that the Democrat party “convinced” Dodd that he has a snowball’s chance in Hades of winning in November, and so, he gallantly killed off his political career to help the party keep its rule in Connecticut with a stronger, less-controversial Democrat candidate.

And there should be interesting times ahead in CT, what with Republican Linda McMahon, savvy business woman and the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, running for Dodd’s Senate seat.

From FOX News: Sen. Chris Dodd Will Not Seek Re-election:

BREAKING NEWS — Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is set to announce he will not seek re-election this fall, Fox News confirmed early Wednesday.

The five-term Democrat’s decision is the latest in a string of big-name Democratic retirements revealed on Tuesday as the party struggles to contend with a challenging political climate.

Word of his retirement came hours after North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan announced he will not seek re-election, stunning many in his party.

The departure of Dodd, first elected to the Senate in 1980, carries the most symbolic value because of his seniority and his close association with the financial system bailout and other economic policies.

Dodd, 66, is chairman of Senate Banking Committee, which was at the center of efforts to deal with the economic meltdown. And he has played a prominent role in the debate over overhauling health care, taking over for his friend Ted Kennedy during his illness and then after his death.

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.

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. Simmons, a former House member, has his own challenger in World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon, who is also seeking the Republican nomination for Dodd’s seat.

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.

Commentary on Dodd’s announcement from Michelle Malkin, Culture of Corruption casualty: Chris Dodd bows out; CT AG Blumenthal to run:

During the Christmas break, corruptocrat Sen. Chris Dodd held a press conference hailing the Senate government health care takeover bill. But he couldn’t distract from the stink of his ethics scandals and his mounting unpopularity at home.

A prescient constituent heckled him during the press conference:

“You’re not gonna get re-elected,” the man said.

Today, Dodd will preempt the voters by removing himself from the running. He’s ending his re-election bid. I’d say good riddance, but Dodd will most likely move on to a lucrative lobbying career a la Beltway toe fungus Tom Daschle or perhaps into a position with the administration of Hope and Change.

Republican Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, running for Dodd's Senate seat

From New York Times, Newcomer Stirs Up Connecticut Senate Race:

She is a political novice seeking to unseat one of the most powerful Democrats in the United States Senate. But Linda McMahon does possess one big weapon: a vast personal fortune that she is already wielding to shake up the race.

Ms. McMahon has been saturating residents with television advertisements, pouring money into the campaigns of local elected officials and building a campaign organization that dwarfs its rivals.

The spending, roughly $5 million, more than 10 months before the election, has transformed Ms. McMahon, the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, into a potent political force as she seeks the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Christopher J. Dodd.

The campaign of Ms. McMahon’s main rival in the Republican primary, former Representative Rob Simmons, has responded with a wave of attacks as he suddenly finds himself contending with a formidable opponent.

Even Democrats close to the Dodd campaign acknowledge concerns about facing Ms. McMahon in a general election, given the huge sums of money she has been willing to spend in the first few months of the race. Her campaign says she is prepared to spend at least $30 million to win the seat.

The emergence of Ms. McMahon has complicated matters for Republican leaders in Washington, who urged Mr. Simmons to enter the race but then retreated to the sidelines once Ms. McMahon roared in.

From Capitol Eye Blog, Open Secrets:

…Dodd, first elected to Congress in 1974, faces a difficult campaign this year and is widely believed by Republicans and Democrats alike to stand among the most vulnerable Senate incumbents. While Dodd reported more than $2.2 million cash on hand through September, challengers such as Republican Linda McMahon and Robert Simmons have each already raised millions. If Dodd doesn’t seek re-election, it’ll mark a precipitous fall for his political fortunes. In 2008, his presidential campaign fizzled before it ever started, with Dodd abandoning the Democratic nomination after the nation’s first caucus in Iowa. Accusations of too-cozy relationships with executives from embattled Countrywide Financial and American International Group have also dogged Dodd, who nonetheless served as de facto chairman of two Senate committees this year and solidified himself as a major, if contentious player in health care and financial reform negotiations.

More on Dodd and Democrats:
GayPatriot: Good News for the Democratic Party (& the 112th Congress)
Hot Air: Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd Announces Retirement—House of Cards, (that Obama built), Beginning to Crumble
Radio Vice Online: Linda McMahon and the WWE vs Democrats: living in a glass house and Howard Fineman: Hey, you folks in Connecticut are too smart to elect McMahon, well except Waterbury and Game on: Linda vs Dick
Michelle Malkin: Voters give corruptocrat Chris Dodd thumbs down
The Mud Rack: Chris Dodd retires, Democrats dropping like flies
Sister Toldjah: Dodd set to retire, and Governor Ritter (D-CO) plans to bow out
Rasmussen Reports: Number of Democrats Falls to New Low, Down Six Points Since Election 2008
The New Ledger, Big Government: Do the Democrats Have Any Solutions on Jobs? Anything at All?
Gateway Pundit: Corruptocrat Chris Dodd to Step Aside– Senate’s Most Corrupt Politician Will Not Run Again and How’s That Hopenchange Feel Now? Youth Unemployment Surges to Record High and Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Execs Get Up to $6 Million in Pay
Andrew Marcus, Big Government: Dodd And Other ‘Retiring’ Democrats Show Why Term Limits Are A Bad Idea
The Lonely Conservative: And Another One Down! Dodd to Retire – Is this Good News?
Scared Monkeys: D-DAY … CT Dem Senator Chris Dodd OUT … Will Not Seek Reelection in 2010
Patterico’s Pontifications: Chris Dodd on Why He Quit
The Powers That Be: Dodd on Arrival: Another Democrat Bites His Own Dust
Tai-Chi Policy: Hmm, Detroit, San Francisco, Baltimore, California…
Hot Air Green Room: Panic at the Democratic Disco?
Politico: Top Democrats head for the exits
BBC: Defeatist Democrats?
Ed Driscoll: Dodd Overboard Next?

Categories: Business & Economy, Conservatism, Government, Health, Law & Constitution, Social and Political Climate
Tags: 2010, 2010 election, AG Blumenthal, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Chris Dodd, Chris Dodd retire, Christopher J. Dodd, Congress, Connecticut, controversy, Democrat, Democrat incumbent, Dick Blumenthal, election, Linda McMahon, November 2010, November 2010 election, political, politics, re-election, Republican, Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Chris Dodd, Sen. Dodd, Senate, Senate Banking Committee, Senator Dodd, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE