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WASHINGTON - With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor — all Democrats — ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama's party. Taken together, the decisions by Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota as well as Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter caused another bout of heartburn for Democrats as they struggle to defend themselves in a sour political environment for incumbents, particularly the party in charge.

WASHINGTON -- The retirements of two top Democratic senators underscore what many in the party had already conceded: The prognosis for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections is looking bad. In brief remarks Wednesday outside his home in East Haddam, Conn., Sen. Christopher Dodd confirmed he wouldn't seek re-election for a sixth term, bowing to political realities which see him trailing potential Republican opponents in a fall campaign. Mr. Dodd said his decision wasn't based on any predictions about the November elections, although the senator also acknowledged he is in "the toughest political shape" of his career. Mr. Dodd's decision...

The demands of complete subjugation to the democrat party and its leader have proven to be too much for several key democrat hacks. Two senators and one governor have abandoned plans to run for re-election in November. Most notable is the contemptible and entirely corrupt undeserving beneficiary of dynasty politics, Chris “Countrywide” Dodd, architect of much of America’s financial crisis. The felonious Dodd is waxing lyrical about his personal woes, including the death of his Waitress Sandwich partner, Ted Kennedy. The more plausible explanation for Dodd’s abrupt decision is that he became yet another casualty of the Chicago Way. Dodd’s...

Chris Dodd has made official today, a year from now there will be a new Senator in Connecticut. Richard Blumenthal presently Connecticut Attorney General, has all but been anointed as Dodd's successor. Some of you who live outside the Nutmeg State may be wondering where you had heard Blumenthal's name before. That's because on May 30th of 2009, he appeared on the Glenn Beck show, where the Attorney General was ripped for not having the least bit of concern for the law when he went after AIG bonuses(see video below). "Look, you know what you have done, know what you...

My first reaction to the recent wave of Democrat politicians either retiring or announcing they won't run for reelection -- Chris Dodd being the latest -- was one of joy. "Here's the 'thinning of the herd' that we expected!" Upon further reflection -- and seeing how eager Nancy Pelosi was to sacrifice the "blue dogs" in order to pass her Deathcare bill -- I'm wondering if this is not a grand scheme by the Democrats ... to throw under the bus (with promises of future payoffs, of course) any Democrats considered too "damaged" to re-elect -- and replace them with...

Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. Dodd's retirement comes after months of speculation about his political future, and amid faltering polling numbers and a growing sense among the Democratic establishment that he could not win a sixth term. It also comes less than 24 hours after Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.), a leading Democrat whose political star fell along with the nation's economy, is expected to announce Wednesday that he has decided against running for reelection this November, according to sources briefed on the decision. Dodd, in his fifth term, chairs the Senate Banking Committee. His retirement would be the second such announcement by a Senate Democrat in 24 hours; North Dakota's Byron Dorgan said Tuesday that he would not run this fall.

Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. Dodd's retirement comes after months of speculation about his political future, and amid faltering polling numbers and a growing sense among the Democratic establishment that he could not win a sixth term. It also comes less than 24 hours after Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced he would not seek re-election. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is widely expected to step into the void...

Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. [...] State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is widely expected to step into the void filled by Dodd and, at least at first blush, should drastically increase Democrats' chances of holding the seat.

Scandal-Plagued Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut retires at the lowest point in an overly long, 35-year, political career. The son of a career politician (his father occupied one of Connecticut's senate seats for 12 years), Dodd has seen his already overly long, Senate career deteriorate among many scandal-plagued issues in the last few years, thus leading to some of the worst poll numbers of his career and a near-impossible matchup against his potential, Republican challenger for his seat. Though Democrats gave Dodd a big role as one of the primary advocates of the ill-fated healthcare "reform" pushed by Obama—how they...

Chris Dodd has has a pretty bad 18 months, with each passing day Dodd's hold on the Senate seat he has held for almost 30 years grows more tenuous. As the Chair of the Senate Banking committee he deserves a share of of the blame for the economic mess we are in now, on top of that, are the recent scandals in which he has been involved. September of 2008 saw the disclosure that the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Received TWO VIP Loans from Sub-Prime Lender Countrywide Inc. The Loans were at favorable interest rates. Senator Dodd claimed...

<p>NEWTOWN - A Hartford man serving a 30-month prison sentence for burglarizing U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's Hartford office died Thursday at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.</p> <p>Gilbert Soto, 50, had been taken to the UConn Health Center after being found suffering from a head injury in the shower area of the medical wing of the Garner Correctional Center in Newtown. Police initially said his death was suspicious, but a preliminary investigation by state police detectives has determined that may not be the case.</p>

She is a political novice seeking to unseat one of the most powerful Democrats in the United States Senate. But Linda McMahon does possess one big weapon: a vast personal fortune that she is already wielding to shake up the race. Ms. McMahon has been saturating residents with television advertisements, pouring money into the campaigns of local elected officials and building a campaign organization that dwarfs its rivals.

Now that our attention is focused on airline security measures thanks to the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, it's worth mentioning that one senator took money away from aviation security to line the pockets of a constituency that supported his presidential campaign in a big way. Back in July, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed an amendment reducing aviation security appropriations by $4.5 million in favor of firefighter grants -- a notoriously inneffective program. In fact, the money was specifically "for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems." The amendment was also sponsored by Sen. Lieberman, D-Conn., and...

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes: 1. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 “Ten Most Corrupt” list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him. In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat. In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against...

Now that our attention is focused on airline security measures thanks to the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, it's worth mentioning that one Senator took money away from aviation security to line the pockets of constituency that supported his presidential campaign in a big way. Back in July, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed an amendment reducing aviation security appropriations by $4.5 million in favor of firefighter grants -- a notoriously inneffective program. In fact, the money was specifically "for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems." The amendment was also sponsored by Sen. Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen....

Mark Hemingway has a long memory for budgeting amendments, which he proves at the Washington Examiner. With focus returned to airport security, Mark reminds us of how Chris Dodd paid off a political constituency by getting a little pork to the firefighters union that supported his bid for the presidency in 2007-8, which got $10 million in “firefighter assistance grants” from FEMA’s budget. All Dodd had to do was to get $4.5 million from another source — which turned out to be the TSA’s explosives detection systems:

Washington, DCJudicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.”  The list, in alphabetical order, includes: 1. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT):  This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 “Ten Most Corrupt” list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him.  In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat.  In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against...

Now that our attention is focused on airline security measures thanks to the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, it's worth mentioning that one Senator took money away from aviation security to line the pockets of constituency that supported his presidential campaign in a big way. Back in July, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed an amendment reducing aviation security appropriations by $4.5 million in favor of firefighter grants -- a notoriously inneffective program. In fact, the money was specifically "for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems." The amendment was also sponsored by Sen. Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen....

Sen. Chris Dodd (D) returned home to Connecticut this afternoon following a historic vote this morning in the Senate that will reform health care. Dodd is facing a tough re-election bid and at least one man at Bradley International Airport let him know just how tough it will be."You're not gonna get re-elected," the man said. "Nice. Merry Christmas," Dodd responded.But is Dodd concerned that this vote will hurt his chances at winning in 2010?"Oh, I don't know, I find it somewhat amusing that people, every move you make has some sort of political calculation," he said.And he stands by...