Connecticut Governor (Repub) Won’t Seek Re-election

[kskiska]

Source: NYT

Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, who rose to the state’s highest office five years ago after her predecessor resigned amid a corruption scandal, said on Monday that she would not seek re-election.

In a surprising announcement, Mrs. Rell, 63, did not immediately give a specific reason for her decision, saying only, “At some point, you know inside that it is time to begin a new chapter in life.”

(snip)

“Second, I would like to share with you the news that — after much soul-searching and discussion with my family — I have decided not to seek re-election next year,” Mrs. Rell said. Her family was standing nearby during the announcement, The Hartford Courant reported.

The news left the Republicans without a candidate possessing big statewide name recognition and the Democrats with an opportunity to push for the governorship in 2010.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/nyregion/10rell.html?_r=1&hpw

[Louisiana1976]

1. Wouldn't it be nice if LIE-berman decided he'd had enough of the Senate

and decided to run for Gov of CT?

A girl can dream, can't she?

[w4rma]

4. That would result in a Lamont vs. LIEberman rematch. Lamont is running for the governor's seat. (nt)

[JerseygirlCT]

27. Oh dear God, don't foist that one on us, too.

He needs to retire and move far, far away.

[Cha]

2. Kick for a Dem Gov in Connecticut!

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. I'll bet Liebermann knew about this beforehand. Randi Rhodes swears that...

Joe won't be running for Senate reelection, which is why he has reneged on his support for the public option. Perhaps, he's set his sights on the governor's mansion?

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Oh, no!!!

x(

[napi21]

6. I doubt Lieberman can win any elected office again.

I think he knows that. I don't know how old he is, but the ride is over.

[Tx4obama]

7. Here ya go ...

Joe Lieberman (I-CT) Born: February 24, 1942
So he's 67 years old.

There are actually currently 34 senators older than Lieberman!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_Senators_by_age

.

[napi21]

8. But they all don't appear to be Yoda! n/t

[47of74]

9. Just got one thing wrong there

It's Joe Lieberman ("I"-Insurance Industry).

[JerseygirlCT]

28. I agree

And I think that's why he's acting like such an ass - or more of an ass than usual, and with less care about it.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Guess: Retiring to receive payback at cush job.

Watch for it.

Rell: I've always had a deep, abiding interest in insurance administration! Or some such twaddle.

[NewJeffCT]

24. what I wonder is

if there was going to be some ultra rich RWer that would challenge her from the right - a lot of Republics were unhappy that she didn't fight harder against the budget that cut the regressive sales tax while raising income taxes on millionaires.

[madinmaryland]

11. Rell bombshell: She won't run again

Source: The Danbury News-Times

HARTFORD ­-- A tearful Gov. M. Jodi Rell abruptly announced Monday she will not run for re-election, bringing to an end a 25-year political career that saw her rise from an obscure small-town politician to a figure credited with restoring faith in a scandal-scarred office.

In a stunning announcement during a hastily called news conference in her office, Rell said she was proud of her public service, but she wants to clear the field for potential Republican gubernatorial candidates to organize for the 2010 election.

"After much soul-searching and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election next year," she said. "For the past five years, I have had the honor, and I mean the incredible honor, to serve as the 87th governor of the state of Connecticut."

Rell, a 63-year-old grandmother, vowed that she will not be a lame duck during her final 14 months in office as the state continues to confront a massive falloff in revenue and a growing state budget deficit.





Read more: http://www.newstimes.com/ci_13750572

---

Hopefully CT will elect a Democrat to the office.

[bigscott]

12. Ned Lamont

has formed an exploratory committee

[madinmaryland]

13. I saw that last week. Don't know what will come of it.

If the Dems can unify behind a candidate, they have a good chance to win CT. Unfortunately, over the last 20+ years they have not been able to do that.

[2Design]

15. CT puts the same candidates up over and over in different positions

It would be nice to have a democratic governor

[JerseygirlCT]

29. No, they haven't.

I don't know that Lamont is any sort of shoe-in here. Several people are pretty serious about this race, and have been fundraising and working on it for a while now. Our SOS, for one. One of the folks from the last gov. race, Dannel Malloy... James Amman (I don't think he's going anywhere - too many ethics questions), and a few others.

Bysewiecz (I'd be surprised if I spelled that one right!) has been fundraising aggressively for a while now. She's done a good job as SOS. She's supposed to be a tough one, personally, but I'm not sure warm and cuddly is really what we need right now, anyway.

[JanusAscending]

30. Susan is anything but warm and cuddly!

She kicks ass and takes no prisoners! She's been a great Sec. of State, and I wish she'd stay in her position. My money's on Ned Lamont! Although......I have a lovely picture on the wall by my computer, of me and our Sec. of State, taken at a Dem. Town Comm. meeting during the '04 Pres. election! If she were to become Gov. I wouldn't mind so much!! lol

[CTyankee]

31. I like Susan a lot. She has been a good secy of state and after the Florida 2000

disaster we know how important that is. I know she is prochoice. So I am torn. I supported and volunteered for Lamont in 06 and I like him as well. But Susan knows the game up in Hartford and we need that.

I just read in the New Haven Register this morning that Dick Blumenthal is interested in the Senate seat. thank you god! He would make a terrific US Senator!

[JerseygirlCT]

33. I agree

I think her performance, especially vis a vis elections (listening to the experts, not being afraid to admit the first try was a mistake...) recommends her.

I think Blumenthal would be a good senator - better than a governor, actually. And yes, I think he could totally whup Lieberman, which would be quite enjoyable. Any remaining pockets of Dem Lieberman support would also be staunch Blumenthal supporters and would feel quite comfortable with him, I think.

[JanusAscending]

34. You can understand where I'm coming from then!

Dick B. would be an excellent choice for Dem. Senate seat!!!

[David Zephyr]

35. I hope he runs.

.

[Ian David]

14. Live child or dead man? n/t

[NewJeffCT]

18. The Dems have a super-majority in the legislature

she might not want to keep losing battles to them?

Plus, she had breast cancer a few years back and her husband also is a recent cancer survivor. While both are okay now, she might not want the hassle of being a Republican governor fighting a state legislature that is 2/3 Democratic.

[Ian David]

21. Not to mention the stupidity of being a cancer survivor fighting against universal health care. n/t

At least, a member of a party that's fighting against it.

[mikelgb]

16. Lieberman becomes Republican candidate.

[Xipe Totec]

22. The Grovelnator? n/t

[Javaman]

17. "After much soul-searching and discussion with my family"

I wonder what is about to be revealed.

Her reasoning is right up there with, "wanting to spend more time with my family".

She swept away corruption and replaced it with a brand of her own?

inquiring minds want to know.

[NewJeffCT]

19. She has some of her own corruption issues

Her chief of staff Lisa Moody was always in hot water and was sort of the Karl Rove of CT... however, she had a lot better image in the media than Rowland.

[CTyankee]

32. My image of Rowland: sittin' in a hot tub, smokin' a fatty.

Maybe Rell is just tired of working. I know I was at her age. For several years I longed to be able to collect my SS and be on Medicare just so I wouldn't have to slog through my job (I was a fundraiser and I hated it).

[Chan790]

20. The on-the-ground rumors I'm hearing from friends in CT are...

that she's contemplating a run for the problematic CT Senate seat (The one held currently by "Independent" Joe Lieberman who caucuses with Democrats and was re-elected mostly by a electorate of Republicans and unaffiliated. He's a lame duck because in his next election he'll have a Republican to face and a Democrat to face, leaving him pinched in the middle. He carried something like 70% of registered Republicans in CT in 2006, he can't win again without similar numbers.) and wants to avoid the sorts of problems that have plagued other Republican political leaders in CT. If that's true, we can kiss that seat goodbye...she's the most popular political figure in CT in a generation. Not running again would leave her free to begin to campaign now through early 2011 without having to declare her candidacy. CT has funny laws regarding current electoral positions and candidacy for other positions. (The so-called Lieberman laws, named after the 2000 Democratic VP nom. Most people in CT feel he should have been forced to resign his Senate seat to run.)

Her Chief-of-Staff Lisa Moody is also about as crooked as they come (she's a shakedown artist fond of implying to NPO directors and state personnel that continued funding and state grant consideration is dependent upon donations to the Guv.) and she's faced increasing pressure over the past several years to fire Moody...something she will not do. This could be her way of taking the heat for a friend...there's no point continuing to pressure her to can Moody if she's not going to run again. Likewise, they've been unable to build a case thus far against either of them, this sets a deadline which may persuade ending those investigations (or so one or both hopes.)

A third possibility lies in Rell being a breast cancer survivor. If she's no longer in remission, this may be her way of clearing the field for others to jump in and establish roots in their own candidacies before that news gets out or she announces that she's possibly dying.

[NewJeffCT]

23. I haven't heard any speculation on her running for Senate in 2012

and, she'd be 66 years old in 3 years, so it seems unlikely to me. I think she just wants to get out now while she is still popular.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

25. I haven't heard anything either about her running but have heard

a lot about how absent she is from the Capitol. I think this job was just too much work for her and there is no way she'd want to work hard to run for the Senate and actually have to work if she won.

There's talk that the Lt Gov will run. Who ever heard of him ? What does he do ? Not much - and that's what Rell did for 10 years.

[JerseygirlCT]

26. Three words:

M. Lisa Moody.

Every single scandal of Rell's term has that name attached to it. And this announcement just makes me think there's more to come.