The upcoming midterm election is being publicized as one of the most important elections of our generation, with Connecticut politicians playing an integral role. But what exactly is up for grabs on Nov. 7?
The Republican Party controls both the executive and legislative branches of our government, with a Republican President, House and Senate.
However, many say the Democratic Party has a chance to take back the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, when Republicans won 52 seats and ended over 40 years of Democratic rule.
An Oct.18 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll says that public disdain with Congress is at its highest levels since the upheaval in 1994, with only 16 percent of those polled approving of the way Congress is performing, and 47 percent stating they were “less in favor of keeping Republicans in control of Congress.”
The Democratic National Committee has thus geared its focus towards 50 congressional districts – “the fighting 50” – three of which are in Connecticut.
The Connecticut fourth, which includes Fairfield, is home to one of the most closely watched congressional races in the Northeast.
In 2004, Democrat Diane Farrell came within four percentage points of defeating Republican incumbent Christopher Shays, and this year she hopes to achieve what she previously lost.
In a recent Hartford Courant/UConn poll, the two candidates are in a dead heat, each gaining support from 43 percent of likely voters.
Farrell has accused Shays of often siding with President Bush, whose approval ratings hover in the low 30’s – a technique being employed by many Democratic Candidates, while Shays has spent much of his campaign profiling his moderate views and experience in Congress.
“I am running because this Republican majority has misplaced priorities that have lead us in the wrong direction in Iraq and here at here at home. It’s time for a change,” Farrell says.
However, Michael Sohn ’98, Shays’ campaign manager, says Shays independence is reason for re-election. “[Shays] is the most independent, experienced and responsibility driven candidate in this race,” he says.
Also in play is the Connecticut fifth, a seat currently held by Republican Nancy Johnson, who has been in Congress since 1982. She is being challenged by Democratic State Sen. Chris Murphy.
In the latest Courant/UConn poll, the challenger holds leads by four percentage points over the 71-year-old incumbent, attracting support from 46 percent of likely voters, while Johnson trails with 42 percent.
Johnson believes her experience showcases her dedication to her constituents.
“Nancy has a deep commitment to the people of the 5th District,” says Johnson campaign manager Dave Boomer.
Murphy, though, is trying to hammer home the message Democrats across the country are preaching: that each and every Republican Congressman is joined at the hip with the increasingly unpopular House leadership.
“If Nancy Johnson can’t stand up to her leadership,” Murphy says, “then she certainly isn’t standing up for here people here in Connecticut.”
The Connecticut second – a district that spans from the Massachusetts border to the Long Island Sound, covering almost half the state – is held by Republican incumbent Rob Simmons.
Simmons, who won a narrow re-election victory in 2004 over Democrat Jim Sullivan, is being challenged by Connecticut Assemblyman Joe Courtney.
Simmons’ campaign manager, Christopher Healey, says Courtney has wavered on important issues, such as the war in Iraq.
“In 2002, Courtney supported the war on terror in Iraq. Today his silence is deafening,” he says.
Meanwhile, Courtney has attacked Simmons’ “Stay the Course” plan for Iraq, calling Simmons’ support of Bush as “craven” and “shameful.”
Courtney has spent much of his campaign arguing for a change in Iraq, saying publicly that “the people of Iraq need to take control of their country, and this election is about the American people taking control of theirs.”
Democratic Reps. John Larson (first district) and Rosa DeLauro (third) are considered shoo-ins for re-election.
The Democrats need to win 15 seats to take back control of the House, so one fifth of those seats could come from Connecticut if Farrell, Courtney and Johnson all win.
The Connecticut Senate race has also been the site of national attention, after 18 year incumbent Joseph Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to businessman Ned Lamont.
Lamont, who scored one of the biggest upsets in political history when by winning 52 percent of the vote in the promary, climbed to within four percentage points of Lieberman in an Oct. 31 Zogby poll, indicating the race is close to a dead heat.
Lamont has spent most of his campaign arguing against Lieberman’s support of the Iraq War.
“It’s time for a change. Joe [Lieberman] has been part of the problem in pushing for the Iraq War and its disastrous results, he can’t be part of the solution to end it,” he says.
Lieberman’s campaign, however, is focusing on Lieberman’s history of independence within the Senate. “Joe Lieberman … is just what most Connecticut voters expect from a Senator – an independent-minded leader who makes up his mind on the issues based on what is right and what is best for Connecticut,” says campaign manager Sherry Brown.
The New York Times currently has 47 Senate seats as safely Republican, 40 seats leaning Democrat, two leaning Republican, eight leaning Democrat, and three toss-ups. The toss up states include New Jersey, Tennessee and Montana. It is difficult to foresee if the Senate will change political hands.
Connecticut races will be closely watched on November 7, and it is possible that their results will change the course of a nation.
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