CNN

A new poll shows bad news for Dodd.

(CNN) - A new poll spells more trouble for Sen. Chris Dodd's bid for re-election.

A Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday morning suggests that 54 percent of Connecticut voters disapprove of the job Dodd's doing as their senior U.S. senator, with 4 in 10 giving him a thumbs up. The 54 percent disapproval rating is up 5 points from September. The poll also indicates that by 53 percent to 39 percent, Connecticut voters don't think the five term Democrat deserves to be re-elected next year.

According to the survey, Dodd is losing or tied with all of his potential Republican challengers in hypothetical 2010 general election matchups. Former Rep. Rob Simmons leads Dodd by 11 points, with former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon, new to the race, 2 points ahead of the incumbent senator. The poll indicates that former ambassador Tom Foley leads Dodd by seven points, with Sam Caligiuri and Peter Schiff in a statistical tie with Dodd. In a hypothetical Republican primary, the survey suggests that Simmons has the early lead.

"After inching up in the polls for months, Sen. Christopher Dodd is sliding back down again on job approval. He continues to struggle with independent voters as 60 percent disapprove of the way he is handling his job. President Barack Obama is still popular with independents, but voters say that his support of Dodd won't affect their Senate vote," says Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Biden's heading north Monday to show off some money and to rake in some bucks for fellow Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Joe Biden's heading north Monday to show off some money and to rake in some bucks for fellow Democrats.

The vice president travels to Connecticut, where he'll team up with Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Jim Himes in Fairfield, to tout how "Recovery Act investments are creating jobs and rebuilding Connecticut's infrastructure," according to a White House press release.

The vice president is expected to praise Dodd and Himes for bringing stimulus money to their state, including millions of dollars for road improvements to the Merritt Parkway.

Dodd is facing a tough bid for re-election next year. Recent polls of Connecticut voters suggest that the five term senator's approval rating is on the rise, but still in negative territory. President Barack Obama headlines a fundraiser for Dodd in Connecticut on October 23.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dodd's numbers are on the rise.

(CNN) - A new poll of Connecticut voters suggests that Sen. Christopher Dodd's approval rating is on the rise, but still in negative territory.

Forty-three percent of people questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday morning say they approve of how Dodd is handling his duties as senator, up ten points from April. Forty-nine percent disapprove of the job Dodd's doing in office, down nine points from April.

The poll suggests Dodd is still struggling with Independent voters, with 56 percent giving the five-term Democratic senator who's up for re-election next year a thumbs down.

Quinnipiac's April poll came out right after the news of Dodd's involvement in the AIG bonus controversy. Since then, a bill Dodd co-sponsored that makes it tougher for credit card issuers to raise feeds and interest rates was signed into law. And Dodd took a leading role in steering health care reform through one of the key congressional committees dealing with the legislation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Several Republicans in Connecticut are vying to take on Sen. Chris Dodd.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Pro- wrestling businesswoman Linda McMahon announced Wednesday she would run for Senate in Connecticut next year as a Republican.

McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, describes herself as a "different kind of candidate" who will run a "different kind of campaign."

"With your help, we are going to change Washington and start making Washington work for ordinary people," she said in a statement posted on her campaign Web site.

She pledged to "help" finance the campaign with the fortune she made from her wrestling empire and limit contributions to $100.

McMahon joins a crowded primary of Republicans hoping to challenge embattled Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd in 2010.

Follow Mark Preston on Twitter @prestoncnn

Sen. Dodd said Sunday that his late friend Sen. Kennedy would be 'terribly disappointed' if partisan politics dominated the health care reform debate.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A close personal friend of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy said Sunday that the Massachusetts lawmaker’s death ought to act as an inspiration for Democrats and the entire Senate to set aside partisan differences and pass health care legislation.

“We ought to sit down together and work it out and go through this” Connecticut Democrat Sen. Christopher Dodd said on CNN’s State of the Union a day after Kennedy’s funeral. “That’s what we do in the Senate. That’s how things move forward. . . . The country cannot afford this any longer. We need to have a health care plan in this country that’s accessible, affordable, and quality. And how we get there is the challenge before us. And we must meet that challenge. ”

Pointing out that Kennedy introduced his first piece of health care reform legislation roughly 40 years ago, Dodd also said that his friend would be “terribly disappointed” if partisan politics dominated the debate over fixing the nation’s health care system.

“He expected more of us and I think we can meet that expectation and I’m confident we can,” Dodd told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.

Related video: 'What would Teddy do?'

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, also a close friend of Kennedy’s, suggested that the partisan gulf between the two parties on health care may be too wide to bridge.

Getting a bill passed is “going to take a lot of work,” Hatch said Sunday. The Republican also said it was “crazy” to try to squeeze money out of the Medicare program in order to help fund broader health care reform including a hotly contested public health insurance option.

Sen. Chris Dodd is home after a recent surgery, his office announced Saturday.

(CNN) – Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Dodd was released Saturday from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center after surgery to treat early stage prostate cancer, Dodd’s office said in a statement.

“Senator Dodd was released from the hospital earlier today and is at home in East Haddam with his family,” Dodd spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said in the statement. “He is recovering well from Tuesday’s surgery and looks forward to getting back to work later this month on behalf of the people of Connecticut.”

Related: Senator's cancer surgery 'successful'

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, is "resting comfortably" after undergoing surgery Tuesday to treat prostate cancer, his office announced.

Dodd recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. His doctor described the surgery as "successful," adding that the Connecticut Democrat "is expected to be in the hospital for a few days."

"It is anticipated that he will be able to return to full activity within a few weeks," Dr. Peter Scardino, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said in the statement released by Dodd's office.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Two prominent U.S. senators were cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee Friday after a year-long investigation into allegations they received special, unusually favorable terms on mortgages from lender Countrywide Financial.

The six-member committee, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, found "no substantial, credible evidence" that mortgages given to Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, both Democrats,
violated Senate ethics rules.

At the same time, it concluded that the senators "should have exercised more vigilance in (their) dealings with Countrywide in order to avoid the appearance that (they) were receiving preferential treatment."

In June 2008, it was revealed that Countrywide - one of the companies accused of fueling the subprime mortgage crisis - gave favorable mortgage rates to Conrad and Dodd.

The two senators were enrolled in Countrywide's "V.I.P." program, designed to process and fund home loans for certain customers and senior-level Countrywide employees. Some V.I.P. customers referred by former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo were also known as "Friends of Angelo," according to the committee report.

The committee noted, however, that all V.I.P. and "Friends of Angelo" mortgages were required to meet standards similar to the company's other loans. It also found that discounts offered by the two programs were not the best deals available at either Countrywide or in the broader mortgage marketplace.

Dodd said he sought out Countrywide in 2003 to refinance his two homes - one in his home state of Connecticut and the other in the District of Columbia. He claimed that he never met or discussed the loans with Mozilo.

Conrad used Countrywide in 2004 to obtain a loan for a beach house in Delaware and an apartment building in Bismarck, North Dakota. He told the committee he "briefly" spoke with Mozilo about obtaining a mortgage for the beach house.

The committee concluded that neither Conrad nor Dodd sought to be included in the V.I.P. program. But once they became aware that their loans were "being handled through a program with the name 'V.I.P.,' that should have raised red flags," it noted.

Conrad and Dodd, who insisted they had not acted improperly, both said they were gratified by the committee's finding.

"While I should have shown more vigilance in the appearance of these transactions, the committee has concluded I did nothing unethical, and that is the truth," Conrad said in a written statement.

Dodd, who is facing a tough re-election bid in 2010, said he hopes that the dismissal of the charges "will go a long way towards restoring the bond of trust and confidence that I've worked long and hard to build with the people of (Connecticut)."

But "now that the facts have been aired and the lessons learned, it's time to move on."

The committee's reports on Conrad (pdf) and Dodd (pdf).

Sen. Chris Dodd is expected to announce Friday that he will be treated for early-stage prostate cancer.

(CNN) – Sen. Christopher Dodd announced Friday that he has an early form of prostate cancer, but said he is going to be fine.

"I feel fine; I'm going to be fine. We caught this early," he said at a news conference with his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd.

He will undergo surgery after the Senate adjourns next week, Dodd said.

Dodd, 65, is expected to face a tough re-election campaign in 2010. He stated emphatically Friday he still plans to run.

"The condition was caught extremely early," said a source close to Dodd, who added that the procedure is routine, and the senator's health "is otherwise superb."

"This in no way whatsoever affects his re-election plans," said the source.

UPDATE: Dodd sent his supporters a message Friday afternoon confirming the report.

(Full text of Dodd statement after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

A new poll suggests a possible rebound for Sen. Dodd.

(CNN) - A new poll of Connecticut voters indicates that Senator Christopher Dodd's approval rating is on the rise, but still in negative territory.

Forty-two percent of people questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday morning say they approve of how Dodd is handling his duties as senator, up nine points from April. But 52 percent disapprove of the job Dodd's doing in office.

The poll suggests Dodd is still struggling with independent voters, with six in 10 giving the five term Democratic senator who's up for re-election next year a thumbs down.

Quinnipiac's April poll came out right after the news of Dodd's involvement in the AIG bonus controversy. Since then, a bill Dodd co-sponsored that makes it tougher for credit card issuers to raise feeds and interest rates was signed into law. And with Sen. Ted Kennedy sidelined as he battles brain cancer, Dodd as taken a leading role in steering health care reform through one of the key congressional committees dealing with the legislation.

"Sen. Dodd's numbers among Democrats are back to where they used to be," says Quinnipiac University poll director Douglas Schwartz. "But he still is struggling with Independents, who will be harder to win back than his own partisans."

"Dodd's most glaring weakness continues to be that a majority of voters say he is not honest and trustworthy. This is not something that will be easy for Dodd to reverse," adds Schwartz.

The poll indicates Dodd trails former congressman Rob Simmons, a likely Republican challenger, 48 to 39 percent in a hypothetical matchup in next year's Senate race.

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted July 16-20, with 1,499 Connecticut registered voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

The Dodd campaign is out with a new ad that features Sen. Ted Kennedy.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, once again has some high-powered help in his 2010 re-election bid.

Dodd began airing a new television ad Sunday that features his long time friend, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts.

"Quality health care as a fundamental right has been the cause of my life," Kennedy says in the 30-second TV spot. "And Chris Dodd has been my closest ally in this fight."

Kennedy adds that "I believe that with Chris Dodd's leadership, our families will finally have accessible, affordable health care."

The Connecticut Democrat has already aired an ad featuring President Obama praising his work on credit card reform legislation.

The Kennedy ad is running state-wide on broadcast and cable outlets Dodd campaign manager Jay Howser told CNN. Howser said the campaign is spending at least $100,000 for the ad that is scheduled to run for at least a week.

Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, is the chairman of one of the congressional committees charged with crafting the Democrats' health care reform bill. Dodd has taken a leading role in championing the legislation in Kennedy's absence.

Public polling now indicates that Dodd faces a difficult re-election in 2010.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The cost of health care reform has caused "sticker shock," a leading Democratic senator conceded Sunday.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week" program, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut said a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of health care bills proposed so far showed they were more expensive than originally believed.

Asked about sticker shock from the $1.6 trillion price tag, Dodd said "we all" have it.

"We've got to obviously have better numbers than the ones we've seen," Dodd said.
Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (CNN) - They agreed on wanting regime change in Iran, but leading Republican and Democratic senators disagreed Sunday on what role the United States should play in tying to make that happen.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week" program, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut both said they'd like to see the current Iranian government fall.

"Absolutely," Graham said, while Dodd said he would "love to see a different regime in Iran."

"Who wouldn't?" Dodd continued. "My lord, what's going on there for the last 30 years has been a disaster for the people in Iran."

However, Graham criticized President Barack Obama for failing to take a stronger public stance in favor of demonstrators protesting the announced result of the June 12 election that authorities said re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it," Graham said.

He called Obama's statement Saturday for Iran to halt its violent crackdown on protesters the right step, but complained that the president has been "timid and passive more than I would like."

Dodd responded that Obama was taking the correct tone.

"The worst thing we could do at this moment for … these protesters, these courageous people in Tehran, is allow the government there to claim that this is a U.S.-led opposition, a U.S.-led demonstration," he said.
Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. Dodd's new ad focuses on his role in getting recent credit card reform legislation passed.

(CNN) - Nearly 18 months before voters head to the polls, Sen. Chris Dodd is out with his first campaign ad.

The 30-second television spot, entitled "Years," relies heavily on the image and voice of President Barack Obama.

The ad opens with an image of Obama from last week when he signed credit card reform legislation. Roughly half of the ad also features a recording of the president discussing the recently enacted bill and Dodd's role in getting the legislation passed.

"I want to give a special shout-out to Chris Dodd who has been a relentless fighter to get this done," the president says in the ad as an image of Obama, Dodd, and several other Members of Congress appears on screen.

The ad then details aspects of the bill designed to protect consumers in their use of credit cards.

The ad begins airing Friday on broadcast and cable outlets across much of Connecticut, according to Dodd's campaign manager Jay Howser. The spot will run for one week.
Read the rest of this entry »

Senator Chris Dodd faces a primary contest against Connecticut businessman Merrick Alpert.

(CNN) – A new poll suggests that the worst may be over for Sen. Chris Dodd as the Democrat from Connecticut gears up for re-election next year.

A Quinnipiac University survey of Connecticut voters indicates that Dodd trails former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons, a possible challenger in the 2010 general election, by six points. That's down from a 16 point deficit in a Quinnipiac poll released in early April.

The survey also suggests that Dodd's approval rating has jumped five points, to 38 percent, from his all time low of 33 percent in the April poll. Fifty-three percent of Connecticut voters disapprove of the job Dodd's doing as a senator, down five points from early April.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Senate voted to make it more difficult for credit card companies to raise rates and fees.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The Senate on Tuesday voted 90-5 to approve a bill that will make it tougher for credit card issuers to raise fees and interest rates starting early next year.

The bill includes an unrelated measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons into national parks.

The bill will now go to the House, which is expected to take it up on Wednesday and pass it before the weekend. The bill would get to President Obama's desk before Memorial Day, as he called for.

"This is a good moment for our country and a good moment for consumers," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

Full story

Senator Chris Dodd faces a primary contest against Connecticut businessman Merrick Alpert.

(CNN) - Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months amidst the country's financial crisis, will face a primary challenge in his bid to win a sixth Senate term.

Merrick Alpert, a businessman who served as an Air Force officer in Bosnia, pledged on his Web site Monday to formally file paperwork with the Federal Elections Committee to challenge Dodd for the Democratic Party's nomination.

"You deserve a senator who tells you the truth and focuses on protecting your job and rebuilding Connecticut's economy," Alpert said in a video announcement. "Like many of you, I've lost faith in Senator Dodd. While he served his state well in the past, that's not so lately.

"He doesn't represent Connecticut's values anymore," said Alpert. "He represents the values of Washington, DC."

Alpert appears to have been a former Dodd supporter, donating $4,400 to the Connecticut senator since 2004, according the Federal Election Commission.

Dodd, the current chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has most recentlycome under fire for his role in allowing executives at the embattled insurance firm AIG to be paid lucrative bonuses even after receiving a massive government bailout.

The 2008 presidentiasl candidate has also come under sharp criticism for failing to rein in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae during his tenure as head of the Senate Banking Committee. Dodd also faces a Senate Ethics Committee investigation over favorable mortgage rates he received under the Countrywide VIP program.

Two Republicans are already running to challenge Dodd - Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons and State Sen. Sam Caligiuri.

A Quinnipiac Poll taken last month suggested Dodd has only a 30 percent approval rating among Connecticut voters. The survey also indicated he would lose to both Simmons and Caligiuri in hypothetical head-to-head matchups.

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) - What do guns have to do with credit cards?

Not much. Except they both share space on a bill that lawmakers want to deliver to President Obama's desk by Memorial Day.

In a surprising move, the Senate voted 67-29 on Tuesday to attach a measure that would allow guns in national parks to a bill that cracks down on credit card fees.

"It's just wacky," said Jon Houston, spokesman for Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the bill's chief House sponsor who has been pushing for a crack down on credit card practices for two years.

Read the rest of this entry »

There's new evidence today that Senator Chris Dodd is in political trouble back home in Connecticut.

(CNN) – There's new evidence today that Senator Chris Dodd is in political trouble back home in Connecticut.

Only one out of three Connecticut voters questioned in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday approve of the job Dodd's doing as senator, his lowest approval rating ever. Fifty-eight percent disapprove of how Dodd's handling his duties, up 14 points from last month.

The five term Democratic senator is up for re-election in November of next year and the poll indicates that Dodd trails former Republican Congressman Rob Simmons, a potential Republican challenger, 50 percent to 34 percent. Dodd trailed Simmons were basically deadlocked in Quinnipiac's poll from early last month.

Matched against two other possible Republican challengers, the poll suggests that Dodd trails both State Sen. Sam Caligiuri by four points and former ambassador Tom Foley by eight points.

Fifty-nine percent of those questioned say they will definitely or probably vote against Dodd in 2010.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Dodd is seeking a sixth term in 2010, but recent polling indicates he could face a tough re-election.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Connecticut Republicans are hoping to cash in over the outrage of Sen. Christopher Dodd's involvement in the AIG bonus controversy.

The Connecticut Republican Party sent out two national fundraising solicitations Friday highlighting Dodd's political contributions from the embattled insurance giant, as well as his admission in signing off on legislative language to allow companies receiving federal assistance to honor bonuses.

"We are working hard to hold Chris Dodd accountable, but we need your help to continue," Chris Healy, chairman of the state GOP, wrote in the email sent to subscribers of two conservative on-line publications: Human Events and GOPUSA.

Dodd is seeking a sixth term in 2010, but recent polling indicates he could face a tough re-election. Former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons has announced he will challenge Dodd next year.

Healy told CNN in an interview that it was a strategic decision to issue a national appeal, because Dodd is a known figure and people are angry about the AIG bonuses.

"We have got to let them know where to come to help out," Healy said.