Posted by Tina
The big news in the political arena today is the Democrats who announced they will not seek reelection. Chris Dodd is the most noteworthy:
Embattled Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek reelection, sources familiar with his plans said Tuesday night. ** Word of Dodd’s
retirement plans comes after months of speculation about his political future, his faltering poll numbers and a growing sense among the Democratic establishment that he could not win a sixth term in the Senate. ** Once among the safest of incumbents, Dodd’s political star fell over a two-year period, during which he moved his family to Iowa to pursue the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and was linked to a VIP mortgage loan program overseen by a controversial Wall Street financier. He also drew harsh questions about his oversight of Wall Street, as chair of the Senate Banking Committee, in the years when the nation’s financial system was heading toward near collapse.
But he’s not alone:
“Democrats are Dropping Like Flies,” by David Chalian – ABC News
Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, who was in for a tough reelection fight this year, canceled a scheduled fundraiser this evening and has decided not to seek reelection, according to Democratic sources familiar with the governor’s plans. ** The all-but-assured Democratic nominee for governor in Michigan, Lt. Gov. John Cherry, ended his bid today. Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota announced he will not seek reelection this year. And now word from Colorado that the first term Democratic governor there is shying away from facing voters again in November.