Friday March 27, 2009
Rob Simmons, the Stonington Republican and former three-term Second District congressman who has the inside track on the 2010 GOP nomination to go after U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, said today that he was aware of the incumbent’s weaknesses even before the recent Quinnipiac University Poll found Dodd’s dancing on thin ice.
Simmons, who called his 2006 loss to Joe Courtney “painful,” and the 83-vote margin was “tough,” said Republicans in Washington tipped him off to Dodd’s deteriorating popularity.
Simmons, on CPTV’s “On The Record,” airing tonight at 8:30, Sunday at 10 a.m. and Monday at 11:30 p.m., said that the national Republican Senate campaign gave him a look at an early poll
. The show’s host, Steve Kotchko, asked Simmons to comment on the Q Poll that showed Dodd’s approval in the weak 40-percent realm.
“I was stunned, but not specifically by that poll,” Simmons said.”We discovered the numbers were exactly the same” as the internal GOP poll.
Also appearing on “On The Record” this week is Susan Haigh of the Associated Press, and the Blogster.
Don’t know why Simmons was “stunned”, anybody who has been paying attention can see Dodd is in trouble. Democrats have to ask themselves – who has the balls to primary Dodd?
Bill Dyson should go for it, it’d be a nice cap to his career. He’s a standup guy with integrity, he would win the primary.
Comment by Charles — March 28th, 2009 @ 6:42 am
Rob Simmons is a great man and a hero but i feel Sam Caliguri is out and out the best candidate at this point from a strategic standpoint for the Republican party. 2010 is going to be a change election similiar to 1994 and to have a man of integrity like Sam who is an ‘outsider’ to Washington will be our best chance for success. While Rob Simmons and Chris Shays are fine men, the Dodd commercials will feature George Bush over and over again! I can see them now…..Simmons or Shays morphing into President Bush, lists of their votes supporting him, pictures of them together smiling, etc. Republicans will then run commercials highlighting the ‘Lying Weasle’ oped against Dodd and it will be the same old campaign in the end.
Sam is an accomplished Republican and with the mentality of ‘throw the bums out ‘which will be widespread next year, he can and will win by a large margin. My fear is that by having a politician who was in the national spotlight for a long time, they will be seen as more of the same and will not excite new people to come out and support real change!
Bill Evans-Contributor
OurPromiseToAmerica.org
Comment by Bill Evans — March 28th, 2009 @ 11:22 am