(CNN) – Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will announce Wednesday that he'll run for Sen. Chris Dodd's seat, a highly placed Connecticut Democrat tells CNN.
Blumenthal is expected to announce his bid for Senate at a news conference at Connecticut Democratic Party headquarters in Hartford Wednesday afternoon.'
Dodd, a five term Democratic senator, plans to announce his retirement Wednesday, two sources close to the lawmaker told CNN. He plans to announce the decision at a news conference just two and half hours before Blumenthal's scheduled event. Dodd, 65, had been considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election in 2010.
The 63-year-old Blumenthal has been Connecticut's attorney general since 1990 and served in the state legislature from 1984 to 1990.
From CNN Politics
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BYE BYE and dont let the door hit you, from CT voter that would have not voted for you, lets see, like most CT voters, we wanted you OUT. To bad you wont run, it would have been more fun seeing you lose.
Keep going incumbents. Maybe you are seeing the writing on the wall. I don't care. Either way, we need to vote out as many incumbents as possible. Show them who their boss was.
Dodd should leave the Senate and head right to jail.
more of the same. If he is endorsed by Obama, then it is simply more of the same. More smoke, more mirrors, more opacity! CNN, where is your outrage over the closed door negotiations of the health care bill? I used to respect the media for their 'watch dog' approach to our gov't. Our gov't could never get away with this type of opacity before this administration. What is your 'special earmark' in the healthcare bill? what have YOU been promised, CNN?
Wake up Connecticut! Now is the time to move more to the right, and vote republican. Help chip away at New England's democrat mononopoly. Take advantage of getting rid of the criminal Dodd.
He can't be worse that the other "Senator" from Connecticut can he?
It's about time. When you stop serving your constitutions then it is time to go. Should be interesting race between Blumenthal and McMahon.
Great – for those of you not from CT, our AG usually calls for a press conference every day no matter how trivial the subject. He was hands off on the Governor's race, but we thought he would wait two years to go after our DINO Senator Lieberman. This could be interesting, though. Blumenthal pretty much knows what every Republican candidates' skeletons are! As far as his own private life goes, the AG has been pretty much an open book since he was first elected to the State Legislature. He has seen what happens to his collegues when full disclosure is not there, and never wanted the finger pointed at him (with the obvious exception of being a publicity hound). I want to see Linda McMahon and Rob Simmons try to attack his integrity!
Dems are running for the hills. They know that after they shove this big insurance health bill down our throats, nothing can save them.
pretty good move though, Dodd was done, this AG that's going to run may have a chance, so the dems keep the seat. Which I suspect is the strategy behind most of these dem retirements.
This Democrat will be voting for Bob Simmons over this jerk.
Is it just me, or is Blumenthal Eliot Spitzer's clone?
He has some legislative experience. That should prove helpful should he win. The question is who will be his Republican opponent. I would like to see the Republican mud slinging event go on before the November election. Does Blumenthal have a primary opponent?
and the criminal party is dropping like flies. Just add this to the giant list of seats republicans will pick up in the mid terms.
Trade one liberal wacko for another. This guy will be a repeat in time.
It's clear that the domocrats understand how upset the voters are with them and their horrible health care bill. Rather than face the consequencies, they QUIT!!!
Retire or get booted out in the "massacre" was Dodd's choices and seeing the writing on the wall, he made the best decision for him.
The gutless behind closed door liberals will spin this like it was planned all along and we will be LOSING a great LEADER and force in the party.
Actually sheep, it is just one less gutless liar that was was as crooked as a liberal road.
One down, many to go and Barry, YOU PAYING UH, UH, UH ATTENTION?
I hear he is a fighter and a good solid Democrat. Bravo for his entry in the fight against rabid right-wingers.
Senator Dodd not too long ago had surgery for cancer. I think this has something to do with the fact he is retiring. I suppose he wants to take it easy. The high expense of running for office is putting a lot of good people out of the race. What we should do is just put the seat up to the highest bidder. Let them bid auction style and put the money in the treasury. Seems like that is the case any way.
It is going to be difficult to run against Simmons, who appears to a gloom and doom Bush holdover from 2000.
This Blumenthal guy better know how to crack the whip on the major special interest in his state: The Insurance Companies
This guy sure doesn't look 63 years old.
The rats are leaving the sinking ship. Professional politicians would rather step aside than lose an election. Times are tough and our problems are many. The solution to those problems will make many Americans angry.
There is no way to deal with the national debt but to pay it off. Bummer.
There is no way to deal with global warming but to change the way we live dramatically. Major bummer.
There is no way to deal with the fragile global economy but to suffer the ups and downs over which we have no control. Conservatives have persuaded us to give up our economic sovereignty to foreign global corporations. We depend on long fragile supply chains for energy, food, clothing, and even sheetrock. Bummer. Getting out of the global economy is probably impossible now. Bummer.
One thing you can count on though. When the going gets tough, Americans roll up their sleeves and complain about how unfair things are.
As long as a stubborn old GOP doesn't get in there, I'm fine. Although stubborn Independents are very annoying, too.... Liberman...
Why would Connecticut's voters put another 'yes' vote for Obama's idiotic policies in the Senate?
Dodd was a bad Senator, but it isn't just his run for office that is in trouble.
Democrats have been exposed. It takes more than outrage, whiz and vinegar to govern. There has been nothing new under this sun regarding their New Deal socialism and foreign policy accomodation.
Americans have grown tired of the Democrat Party's 9 year temper tantrum.
As for Dodd – good ridance to bad rubbish! As for Blumenthal – a Dodd clone. Don't replace trash with trash!!
Dodd's leaving can only help the Democratic party. When he and Conrad took very low interest loans from Country wide, both should have be forced to resign. Now we only have Conrad to go.
If I were the democrats, I would be worried about Dorgan's seat. He was one of the good guys. His drug re-importation amendment to what Obama's calls Health Care Reform Bill , along with medicare for 55 were the only true reform in the bill, or course Lieverman killed medicare for 55 and Obama and the white house and 30 democratic senators killed the Dorgan's amendment. This amendment would have saved the american consumer billions of dollars, instead Obama had made a deal with Pharma and drug companies so they had it killed. I think this will come back and bite them right in their ass. When this amendment was killed, the rich got richer. Thats the change Obama offers. I will never be fooled by him again