Political Capitol

Last week Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dick Blumenthal’s campaign announced a new initiative to recruit Republican supporters in his bid to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Chris Dodd.

The campaign kicked it off by issuing “an open letter” to voters signed by six self-proclaimed Republicans who wanted it known they are “putting aside partisanship to support and vote for Richard Blumenthal because we know we can count on him to fight for us in Washington. We don’t agree with him on every issue, but we know him to have guts and know-how, and a proven track record of delivering for our state.”

It is safe to say that Blumenthal, Connecticut’s attorney general for the past two decades, has garnered some Republican votes during his career.

According to data from the Secretary of the State, during his last bid for re-election in 2006 Blumenthal, who was in a three-way race that year against GOP and Green Party opponents, was the top state-wide vote getter.

He won with 782,235 votes. Compare that to the 564,095 votes U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman garnered in his successful, third-party bid to return to Congress after losing the Democratic primary and the 710,048 votes cast for popular Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

And in 2004, again according to the Secretary of the State, Blumenthal enjoyed the most support of all the state-wide office seekers with 632,351 votes. In contrast then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Curry lost to Republican incumbent John Rowland, 448,984 votes to 573,958 votes.

So I called a few of these pro-Blumenthal Republicans to find out why the heck they would want to send a Democrat to Washington? C’mon now. That’s no way to fight Democratic President Barack Obama’s agenda.

The three I spoke with all had stories to tell about how Blumenthal has helped them or others as attorney general – stories that for them trump party loyalty.

“I generally vote pretty much straight Republican. However in my professional life I worked with Dick Blumenthal and got to see first hand his dedication in my area,” said Margaret LaCroix of Glastonbury, who left her job with the American Lung Association in January after 12 years. “I never really could take a stand for any candidate – I felt it would be inappropriate … I still believe in the philosophy of the Republican Party and intend to support all the other candidates. I just felt that at some point I had to take a stand because I felt so strongly about Dick Blumenthal.”

LaCroix said she has come to resent self-funded Republican U.S. Senate nominee Linda McMahon’s “constant, constant, constant, constant contact” in the form of campaign mailings, television, radio and Internet advertisements.

Ted Powell of Colchester said he abandoned the Democrats and joined the GOP during the late Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the early 1980s.

“Mr. Blumenthal got my vote for what he did for my son-in-law,” Powell said. Powell explained Blumenthal helped his son-in-law’s mom when her condominium association would not allow her to fly a flag in honor of her son’s military service in Afghanistan. And when the son-in-law returned, Powell said Blumenthal also aided him in receiving treatment for a blown-out Achilles tendon.

But as a Republican doesn’t Powell want to send more members of the GOP to Congress to block Obama’s initiatives?

“I think he inherited a bag of garbage and is trying to do the best he can, but he’s not getting help from the Republican Party,” Powell said. “I don’t agree with some of the ideas of what he’s trying to do, but I do believe you should try to work together.”

But Powell added he might have voted for former Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons of Stonington had he beaten McMahon in their party’s August 10 primary.

“I owe Mr. Blumenthal for what he did for my family, but I’ve had experience with Mr. Simmons, too. It would have put me in a rock and a hard place. I love both of them,” he said.

I also spoke to Edith Kufta, a New Haven resident, who contends that voters in 2008 “bought the emperor’s new clothes” when they elected Obama. But she is backing Blumenthal because he helped her out when she had “a problem with some sort of shyster outfit.”

“I think Dick Blumenthal would stop Obama’s agenda where it isn’t right,” Kufta said.

She said she finds McMahon to be “a shady character.”

“But I know about Blumenthal. He’s been around. He’s stood up to people,” she said

I contacted McMahon spokesman Ed Patru about the GOP defectors. He pointed out the latest, post-GOP primary poll by Rasmussen Reports that had McMahon within seven points of Blumenthal also showed his support among fellow Democrats stood at 68 percent. McMahon garnered 71 percent of her party’s vote.

A pre-primary Quinnipiac University poll showed Blumenthal in a match-up against McMahon capturing 82 percent of the Democratic vote while she won 72 percent of the Republican vote.

I asked Patru if the McMahon campaign is going to be shining a spotlight on Democrats who are voting for Linda?

“We absolutely plan to announce Democrats that (are) dumping Dick Blumenthal either because they’re sickened by his habit of being untruthful or they realize he just doesn’t have a clue how to create jobs,” Patru said. “Not a day goes by when Linda isn’t approached by at minimum a half dozen disaffected Democrats who are fed up with Dick Blumenthal’s nonsense and embarrassed by all his lies. On some days, she’s approached by several dozen Democrats who are completely turned off by him.”

I asked Patru for the names and contact information of some pro-McMahon Democrats. He found two and I was able to reach both -  Bonnie Pratt of Middlebury and Dee Silva of Newington.

“I just felt Linda was a new breath of fresh air,” Pratt told me, adding she respects the fact that McMahon and her husband survived personal bankruptcy and went on to build the Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment empire.

“We have to take a chance,” she said.

Pratt said she met McMahon during a campaign stop at the Bridgewater Country Fair.

“I feel she connects with the people. She really listens,” Pratt said.

But, I pointed out, Pratt is a Democrat and McMahon is a Republican who portrayed herself in the GOP primary as more conservative than Simmons and who is garnering Tea Party support.

“Back in the day Democrats stood for the working class, for blue collar. Even though she’s a Republican she’s supporting the little guy (and) business,” said Pratt, adding she might eventually register as an independent voter.

As for Blumenthal, Pratt views him as just another politician from Connecticut.

“I think he thinks Dodd is warming the seat for him,” she said.

Silva said she was introduced to the McMahon campaign through her son, Craig, a 16-year-old who is volunteering for the candidate.

“He was reading through the paper (and) he said ‘Mom, we should go volunteer.’ I said ‘Craig, that would sit well with your father and I because we’re both registered Democrats’,” Silva recalled.

Silva said she has grown more and more impressed with McMahon.

“She’s just a very strong woman. She’s a mother. That’s a lot to be said in itself. And I feel like any woman who can go through bankruptcy and build a company is what Connecticut needs,” she said.

Silva added: “I respect Blumenthal. I do believe he’s a fighter. He’s done his dues in Connecticut and I have to give him the credit he deserves. But at the same time I think she’s got wonderful things. Like she puts it, it’s time for a change.”