Christopher Dodd, running for re-election and losing in a race against Rob Simmons, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Of course we will pray for his recovery and wish him to get well as soon as possible.
But, How does this change the state of the race?
Dodd still intends to run for re-election in November 2010. “As you have probably noticed, I'm working some long and hard hours lately,'' he said. “And that will continue.”
The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Rob Simmons beating Chris Dodd by a nasty 48-39 percent. A majority of voters in CT disapprove of Dodd.
55 percent of voters said Dodd is not trustworthy or honest.
The way I see it the man has credibility problems and it is unfortunate that CT has to be a concern for us. It is a reliably blue state.
I think that Chris Dodd should end his political career here, tell the voters that he is grateful for their support, but that he will leave the Senate in 2010. It's better for him than being demolished in the election.
I think that we need a new Democrat and I would recommend either Christopher Murphy, Rosa DeLauro, or Chris Shays, if we can get him to run as a Democrat.
What do you think, Progressives?!
Get well soon Senator.
We should just wish him the best of luck in getting thought this.
and I think after this there is at least a 50/50 chance of doing that, Chris Murphy or Susan B will be the next senator from Connecticut.
He’s having surgery over the break and, unlike all of us, he has access to some of the best health care in the world. He could be back at 100% his pre-diagnosis energy and enthusiasm levels within a couple of months.
Given that we have at least half a dozen top-tier candidates in Connecticut who could move into an open seat at a moment’s notice and hold it down without breaking a sweat, could we please give one of the Senate’s great progressive voices until next year before chucking him under the bus like yesterday’s garbage?
I hope everyone’s first priority is the well-being of Senator Dodd — he has been a solid progressive voice on many important issues and has an impressive record of public service. Obviously this diagnosis is serious, but the overall prognosis is quite good – let’s hope everything goes well with his treatment and recovery.
I can’t help but note a bit of bittersweet irony in this diagnosis given that Dodd is extremely close to Ted Kennedy and has been taking on Kennedy’s role as a leading Senate voice on health care in the face of Senator Kennedy’s illness.
It is very possible that his illness – coupled with leadership by Dodd on issues like health care, financial regulation, and credit card reform, and economic improvement in 2010 – will make Connecticut voters more fully appreciate their remaining Democratic Senator.
And perhaps the continuing oppositionalist “party of no” stands of the Republicans will make voters in this very Democratic state reluctant to give Mitch McConnell another robot following his lead in the Senate. Senator Dodd (or another nominee if that is the case) will obviously find fertile ground in nationalizing the race against the eventual Republican nominee. And let’s not forget that the Republicans may face a bruising 3-way nomination race that could damage their nominee.
As for the scandal around the mortgages, maybe it will continue to hurt him, or maybe the facts will bear him out and the issue will fade. If the Ethics Committee investigation finds him in the right, it is not inevitable that he will be defined by the smear.
Today (before news of his diagnosis was known), the influential Connecticut newspaper the Hartford Courant editorialized:
In the end, it will be up to Chris Dodd and his family to decide whether he will seek re-election next year. There is no need to make any decision right now.
Should his re-election prospects continue to look bleak in another 5 or 6 months, Senator Dodd could decide to exit gracefully (perhaps citing his health as the reason). There is a deep Democratic bench in Connecticut with numerous potentially strong candidates ready to step in if he opted out.
There is still plenty of time for Dodd to turn his re-election campaign around. It seems a bit distasteful to me to be jumping on today’s news about his health as an opportunity to advocate his departure from the Senate.
and most of the time the cancer is a slow-growing cancer. My father had an unusually agressive form of prostate cancer, and he’s still with us 8 years later. If Dodd has the more common slow-growing kind, he will probably be out of commission for a month or two, and then come back. Unfortunately, his stamina will not be the same for a longer period of time, not to mention his personal emotions. So, in a way, he’s got a bigger uphill battle now in fighting for re-election. Simmons is a very credible candidate, and obviously Dodd is behind by a statistically significant amount at this time. He first has to take time and recover without thinking about the race ahead of him in 2010. Then he needs to make a difficult decision on whether he has the energy to fight for re-election. Dodd should also consider whether he truly believes he is electable. Obviously he’s been electable for 30 years, but in light of the Countrywide problems and questions about his health, he may decide to step away and let a younger and less-tainted individual run in his place.
I hope he doesn’t make a decision until November. At that time, he should be able to make a wise, intelligent decision on whether he needs to run again. I truly am sympathetic to Dodd, and I wish him well, but he has allegedly made some ethically questionable decisions regarding the refinancing of his personal mortgages at below-market rates with Countrywide. In my opinion, Dodd has not answered these questions in a straightforward manner. Although I fully support his political mindset, I have trouble supporting him for re-election before the knowledge of his cancer.
He’s usually put at the top of the list when potential candidates are considered. But as others have pointed out, prostate cancer is one of the least fatal kinds of cancer. All the best to Senator Dodd.
but on the other hand, this ethics probe I’m hearing about is making me a bit less enthusiastic about supporting him.