Free Republic

Robert Menendez carried out his duties as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today when he told a reporter from The Hill that he "absolutely" stands by his colleague, Chris Dodd - who has fallen 16 points behind his likely 2010 Republican challenger in the latest Connecticut poll. "Are you serious?" Menendez asked the scribe. "Chris Dodd is going to be re-elected. He's a great senator." This is what his Democratic colleagues elected him to do, so Menendez's rally-around-the-incumbent fervor is perfectly understandable. After all, it was his sly backroom maneuvering last spring on behalf of fellow New...

Republican state Sen. Sam S.F. Caligiuri - a former mayor of his hometown of Waterbury - has summoned reporters and supporters to his home on Tuesday morning for "an important announcement about his future plans with regards to the 2010 United States Senate race in Connecticut." Could this be the official start of his campaign? Caligiuri and his people aren't precisely saying, but the e-mail sent to reporters is titled "kickoff press advisory.'' Caligiuri's intentions appear quite obvious. The page with the directions to Caligiuri's home says, "Sam Caligiuri U.S. Senate'' across the top and "Paid For By Sam Caligiuri...

The Wall Street Journal's Naftali Bendavid is reporting the following on the 2010 political race between U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd and former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons: As Washington wrestles with a once-in-a-generation financial meltdown, Sen. Chris Dodd has as much riding on the outcome as anyone on Capitol Hill. As Senate Banking Committee chairman, the Connecticut Democrat will be able to claim credit for new financial regulations the public wants. But he also is a longtime friend of Wall Street, making him a convenient scapegoat if voters sour on the government's handling of the economic crisis. Already, a growing anti-industry...