Stamford’s Jim Shapiro, Blumenthal campaign vice-chair, on best/worst moments

Retiring state Rep. Jim Shapiro, D-Stamford, was vice-chairman of Richard Blumenthal’s successful U.S. Senate campaign.

Asked tonight while celebrating in a ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Hartford what he considered the worst moment of the race, Shapiro said: “May was a difficult month for everyone.”

That was when, shortly before the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions, the New York Times reported Blumenthal had occasionally misstated that he served IN Vietnam rather than stateside in the Marine Corps Reserves.

Some local and national pundits thought it was the end of Blumenthal’s 20-plus year political career.

The campaign of his Republican opponent, Linda McMahon, took credit for the New York Times story and obviously thought it had traction – she used it in ads both over the summer and in these final weeks of their bitter battle in an attempt to portray Blumenthal as a serial liar.

Blumenthal argued he misspoke and there was more evidence to support that claim than to back McMahon’s contention he intentionally mislead the public for years.

Plus numerous veterans stepped forward to defend Blumenthal as a staunch supporter of their needs over the years.

And what did Shapiro pick as the best moment of the race, not counting Blumenthal’s victory tonight?

“Best moment was also back in May when (soon after the Vietnam story broke) Dick addressed the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee and got a standing ovation,” Shapiro said. “It showed just how deep the wellspring of support was.”

Brian Lockhart