CT-Senate: Will Blumenthal Be Bold?

Posted By Josh Goodman | July 29, 2009

For most of the last two decades, Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal has been a bold, activist attorney general and a cautious, deliberative politician. That combination has made Blumenthal one of the most popular political figures in the country, but it has not made him a governor or U.S. senator or president.

Time and again, Blumenthal thought about running for governor, but, facing uncertain prospects, he decided not to do it. He's a little bit like Brett Favre if Favre always stayed retired. The current plan is for Blumenthal to run for U.S. Senate in 2012 when Democratic-caucusing independent Joe Lieberman is up for reelection.

I wondered a few months ago, however, whether he might run for Senate next year instead. Democratic incumbent Chris Dodd is unpopular and facing the toughest reelection fight of his 30-year Senate career. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute recently found Dodd with a 42% approval rating and Blumenthal with a 79% approval rating.

Blumenthal has pledged not to run against Dodd, but might he or others push Dodd out behind the scenes? That's what I wondered when I read this informed speculation from NBC's First Read earlier this week:

Democrats have their own retirements they are rooting for... They already got one in Roland Burris. The next one COULD be -- though no one in the party will say this publicly yet -- Chris Dodd. By the way, the hits keep on coming for Dodd: A Countrywide official DIRECTLY contradicts the claims by Dodd and Kent Conrad regarding their special mortgages. Oh, and Dodd has a major lobbying association (PhRMA) spending money on his behalf. Even supposed good news -- a special interest group SUPPORTING him -- is bad news for Dodd these days.

Josh Goodman

Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..

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Twitter: @governing

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