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The Democrats’ convention is still three months away (May 12)…
… but all three of the party’s major U.S. Senate contenders – even fundraising front-runner U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy – are already looking ahead to an August primary.
From recent interviews with Murphy, ex-Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, and Stamford state Rep. William Tong:
Bysiewicz: “I’ve been about making the process very open and giving anybody who wants to serve the opportunity to take their case to the voters, (who) are best positioned to make this decision … So yes, I plan to be on the primary ballot.”
Tong: “I very much respect our process. I very much respect the delegates and I very much respect our town comittees. And we expect to be strong and competitive in the convention and move on to the primary.”
And finally, Murphy: “We’ll have plenty of debates over the course of the primary.”
UPDATE:
Here’s the response from Shays’ campaign manager Matt Wylie to Linda McMahon’s invitation to appear in a series of three debates.
Wylie’s email is addressed to McMahon’s campaign manager Corry Bliss.
Corry,
I appreciate your letter. As you know, Christopher Shays has made it clear that there needs to be a number of debates. I note you’ve suggested three debates in three communities. We would like to see ten debates, two in each Congressional District; five before the convention and five before the primary. Let’s be in touch to discuss time, date, location and format.
I look forward to our continued conversation.
Matt
Lincoln/Douglas they are not.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a steel cage match — that’s more like it.
Former WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) CEO Linda McMahon today challenged former Congressman Christopher Shays to a series of three debates in the GOP nominating race for U.S. Senate, raising the temperature on what is expected to be an explosive contest.
In an interview one day earlier with Hearst Connecticut Newspapers, Shays openly questioned whether McMahon was up to the task.
“I’m not holding my breath, but I’m also not going to be waiting around for it to happen,” Shays said. “We’re very willing to do it any time and anywhere.”
Here’s the text from a letter sent by McMahon’s campaign manager to his counterpart at the Shays campaign:
Matt Wylie
Campaign Manager
Chris Shays for Senate
Dear Mr. Wylie,
Congratulations on a successful campaign launch. As you know, Linda has been running a positive, issue-based campaign since entering the race and looks forward to discussing the issues that matter most to hardworking Connecticut families and small business owners – jobs and the economy.
So, as we welcome the Congressman to the debate, we’d like to do just that – debate. I’ve outlined below a series of debates we are proposing across Connecticut. Hosts are simply suggestions.
• April: Norwich, Norwich Bulletin
• June: Hartford, Hartford Courant/FOX CT
• July: Stamford, Greenwich Time/News 12
I look forward to your response in the coming days.
Best,
Corry Bliss
Campaign Manager
Linda McMahon for Senate 2012
The pro-Mitt Romney super PAC Restore Our Future funded this hit piece against former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Forget the Super Bowl.
Super PACs are all the rage these days in presidential politics.
The super-sized political action committees can accept unlimited sums of money from individual donors, unlike candidates for federal office ($2,500 for the primary and $2,500 for the general election) and both national parties ($30,800 per cycle).
Groups such as the pro-Mitt Romney Restore Our Future appear to be the vehicle of choice for wealthy hedge fund managers and venture capitalists to have a voice in the 2012 White House race.
High rollers from Greenwich loyal to Romney — among them Paul Tudor Jones II — gave $1 million to the super PAC during the month of December alone, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C., organization that tracks the role of money in elections.
East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, now-infamous for his taco comment in the wake of the arrest of four East Haven police officers on federal charges of depriving Latinos of their rights in a pattern of harassment, intimidation and unlawful searches, is taking fire from all sides.
Cafe Con Leche Republicans, a pro-immigrant GOP organization, has joined in the chorus of those calling for Maturo to resign. The group, which describes itself as “dedicated to making America and the GOP a friendly place for immigrants,” includes members from Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, among other states.
In an open letter posted on the group’s website Tuesday, Bob Quasius Sr., president of Cafe Con Leche Republicans, argued that Maturo and the alleged behavior of the East Haven police department under his reign are a disgrace to the Republican party.
Sir, it is time for you to resign, and we’d like for you leave the Republican Party as well. The Republican Party is the Party of Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ronald Reagan. The 14th amendment, which East Haven police has so egregiously violated for decades, was one of the crowning achievements of our party.
Instead of tolerating abuses towards Latinos, particularly immigrants, we should be seeking to engage Latinos. Latinos have twice the rate of business start-ups, in large measure due to the above average levels of ambition of New Americans. PEW Research reports 60% of Latinos are conservative or moderate ideologically, and immigrants are even more conservative.
We need more Latinos in the GOP and our party should be attracting Latinos in droves, but your comments and well as those of a small minority of GOP politicians are patently offensive, and instead drive conservative Latinos into the arms of the Democratic Party. Recent surveys show base support for Republicans among Latinos in the 15-20% range, well below expected given the right-center orientation.
In a new twist Wednesday, the scandal led to the resignation of Police Chief Leonard Gallo, who is expected to retain his severance package of more than $100,000, despite the town police commission’s unanimous recommendation Tuesday that he be fired and prevented from collecting any compensation beyond his pension.
The four arrested officers are accused of harassment of Latinos that included beatings, false arrests and unnecessary searches in the town, which has a Hispanic population of about 10 percent. They face charges including deprivation of rights and obstruction of justice; all four have pleaded not guilty.
Gotta love U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Murphy released his latest fundraising results in mid-January, while his two major competitors – ex-Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and state Rep. William Tong – revealed their smaller hauls this week.
Perhaps recognizing there wasn’t a heck of a lot to say about coming up short, Bysiewicz and Tong kept their press releases brief.
Murphy’s team chose today to not only thump on the campaign’s war chest with a detailed account of why he’s better at raising cash, but to illustrate the candidate’s “unmatched fundraising strength” with charts!
UPDATE:
Zing!!! Those scamps with the Tong campaign respond with a cheeky chart of their own.
Democratic President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign today launched a fundraising drive based on comments likely Republican opponent Mitt Romney made last night about turning Obama into a one-termer.
Here’s the president’s tweet…
And here’s Romney turning the tables…
Ahhh Twitter. Helping to lower presidential politics to the level of two high schoolers battling for class president.
Not sure how many Connecticut residents will be heeding Romney’s call. According to Gallup we’re an Obama state.
Connecticut Republicans recently backed Romney in a straw poll of GOP primary contenders.
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