CT-Gov: Lamont forms exploratory committee

2006 Senate candidate Ned Lamont announced today that he’s filing papers this afternoon for a possible run for governor in 2010.  

Excerpt from his e-mail blast and website announcement:

Since the 2006 campaign for Senate, I have continued to meet with citizens across our state – as co-chairman of the Obama campaign in Connecticut, founder of a state policy institute at Central Connecticut State University, and as an oustpoken advocate for health care reform. I have been constantly reminded during these conversations that Connecticut is not living up to its potential and that too many of our families are still being left behind.

Whether it has been health care and the economy, losing jobs, young people leaving the state, or the never-ending budget crisis, we have all seen our state head in the wrong direction.

Simply put, Connecticut’s current Chief Executive is not getting the job done.

Governor Jodi Rell’s approval rating has come down quite a bit this year, but she’s still at 57 percent approve/38 percent disapprove in the Pollster.com average. Then again, Lamont didn’t shy away from a longshot campaign in 2006, so he may be ready for another challenge.

I’d like to hear from SSP readers who are familiar with Connecticut politics. Could Lamont make a race of this? Would he be the strongest potential challenger against Rell? How would having him in the governor’s race affect Senator Chris Dodd’s re-election campaign?

10 thoughts on “CT-Gov: Lamont forms exploratory committee”

  1. while I can’t claim to be hugely familiar with CT politics, I do know some about the state and a few people who live there.  My opinions on this are as follows

    1.  Lamont probably could make a race of this just as well as anyone else that we currently have running.  Not only did he defeat Leiberman in the primary, he got 40% of the vote and that was with Leiberman taking 33% of the Democrats.

    2.  Lamont is probably 1 of the best candidates we could put forward not counting one of the Congressmen.  Bysiewicz (current SoS)will be the only real competition in the primary and the only other person who would really be a big name would be Blumenthal (current AG)

    3.  I would think that if Lamont is the candidate that Dodd would be better off overall.  Lamont exites the Democratic base (not saying Dodd doesn’t but Lamont rallied progressive to beat Leiberman so that tells you something) and those types of voters aren’t likely to vote for Simmons.  I think its fairly obvious that any well run campaign will help others on the ballot so a good campaign by Lamont which we know he can run, will be a very big assest to Dodd IMO.  

  2. The one thing I’ve noticed missing from this race is money.  Rell and the Democratic field are not raising much at all.  Lamont would certainly change the dynamics of this race financially.  

  3. running (based on her minimal fundraising), and thus an easier path.

    Cause if she does, any politician with 57% approval (and in today’s poor environment for Governors, no less) isn’t likely to be fired by the voters.

    Anyway, I suspect he has enough residual good will left over from ’06 to run a strong campaigns. He’s probably already done private polling to verify that one way or the other.

    Plus hopefully he won’t be making rookie mistakes like last time.  

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