State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R) is considering challenging freshman Rep. Jim Himes (D) in 2010, according to Washington, D.C.-based Republican sources.
If he decides to run, McKinney would enter the race with a name-identification advantage. McKinney’s father, former Rep. Stewart McKinney (R), held the 4th district seat for 17 years until his death in 1987. …
In addition to McKinney, state Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rob Kane (R) has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the seat. Kane could possibly fund some of his own bid – a major plus for the district, which includes part of the most expensive media market in the country, in New York City.
McKinney would be a strong challenger, especially if the gov races goes largely uncontested and Chris Dodd acts as an anvil at the top of our ticket. However, according to SSP’s analysis, Obama surged to a punishing 60-40 margin in this district (Kerry won just 52-46), even though Connecticut was not targeted at the presidential level, making CT-04 tough sledding for any Republican.
McKinney would enter the race with a name recognition advantage because his father was the Congressman there more than 20 years ago? Maybe he’d have an edge vs. a primary opponent but not against Himes.
Shays who was the Congressman for those 20+ years had a huge name advantage. That is one reason why he ran 16 points ahead of McCain.
I don’t think the gov. race is going to bne “largely uncontested” this time around. As I recall, the Secretary of State, Susan Bysiewicz, is planning a run, along with ex-State House Speaker Jim Amann and ’06 candidate Dan Malloy.
Cook moves CT-Sen to tossup among several other crazy assed ratings.
http://www.cookpolitical.com/r…
What kind of world do we live in where Stu Rothenberg is the pundit making the most sense?
and he just lost re-election last year. Shays was one of the most talented representatives they had, but not even he could deny the blue shift this district has undergone. Himes is safe.
So, Kane is moving out of Watertown to an as yet undisclosed location in Fairfield County to run against Himes? That’s a scoop.
Wonder who “named” Kane as a potential candidate for that seat.
Sounds like someone got the story wrong. It maybe should read that Kane is a rumored challenger to Murphy, and McKinney is the clear front runner (read prohibitive favorite) for the Republican nomination to his father’s former seat against a first term Democrat.
That makes some sense, since Kane enjoys the support of the DeLuca wing in CT-05, Williams (DeLuca’s fair-haired one) clearly has his eye on a career in politics and could run for that seat, the most Republican performing Senate seat in the State, last time I looked….