Today, the Register Citizen, a small Litchfield County, CT newsprint, announced that Susan Bysiewicz will seek Joe Lieberman's (CT-I) Senate seat in 2012. Bysiewicz is the former Secretary of State for CT and currently does not hold a political position. According to the CT Mirror, she submitted an email to various reporters unveiling the news of her plans to run against Lieberman, she also spoke openly about her endeavor in a telephone interview.
Susan Bysiewicz's political career was thwarted last summer after she announced an exploratory campaign for Governor. Intrigued by the vacancy at the Attorney Generals Position and likely discouraged by heavy hitters; Dan Malloy, the recent Governor elect for CT, and Ned Lamont, Bysiewicz decided to stick to her legal roots and run. Bysiewicz then ran into legal complications with hopes to succeed Richard Blumental, recent US Senate elect, and replacement for Senator Chris Dodd. The Supreme Court ruled that she was not legally qualified to hold the position as Attorney General because Connecticut state law requires that the candidate practice a minimum of 10 years as a lawyer. Bysiewicz failed to qualify regardless of her claim that serving 11 years as Secretary of State and 6 as lawyer was more than adequate.
Despite some political hardship, Bysiewicz remains confident:
"I think I have a very strong chance to win. I have been a candidate for statewide office four times, once in a primary and in three statewide general elections," Bysiewicz said. "And we have done well every time I've been allowed to run."
Bysiewicz is not the only Connecticut Democrat who has their eyes on Lieberman's seat. Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) and Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) both have expressed interest. Based on on a recent brief conversation with Murphy's outreach director Sean Scanlon, it is only a matter of time before this contemplation turns into action. Whoever emerges victorious in what is sure to be a crowded primary, will they have enough to oust the polemical Senator?
To be honest (and having gone through the...wonderful...exercise known as the Connecticut Democratic Nominating Convention), I have to say, Courtney's got a bit of an easier task, especially if it's a close race. He can lock those CD-2 delegates down like no other (people are tangentially enamored with Susan Bysiewicz AT BEST out there), and all he would need past there is to spend a little bit of time in front of the BPort and East Hartford crews. Just easier to spend face time in closer places then it is to have to visit all those little DTCs. I question his fundraising prowess though (CMurph outraised him almost 2:1 in 2010 and has steadily been raising more from '06 whereas Courtney trends downward), and in a race against Tom Foley, we've got a problem. Best case scenario: CMurph has Courtney take him on a tour of CD-2 DTCs, where he'll deliver 60-70% of the delegates just by standing next to him (Bysiewicz grabbing the stubborn contrarians), and utilizing his proven fundraising abilities to sway the Fairfield County folks and it's his to take in a cakewalk. Worst case scenario: Courtney and Murphy go at it and Bysiewicz grabs the plurality. Cautiously optimistic things will work out.
ReplyDeleteCheck out these shananigans thought Mr. Bornstein:
ReplyDeleteLieberman to possible announce that he is not running! http://www.dailyructions.com/lieberman-out/
also, on the same blogroll talk of an early endorsement from Ms. Mary Glassman to Chris Murphy. Could Mary have her sites set on CT-5?
http://www.dailyructions.com/mary-makes-a-move-for-murphy/