Posted on 11/09/2009 4:56:39 PM PST by Alter Kaker
Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Monday at 5 p.m. that she will not seek re-election as governor in 2010.
"After much soul-searching, and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election next year," Rell said in her Capitol office during a hastily called press conference with her family standing by.
She said it has been "an honor" to serve. She cited accomplishments including ethics and campaign finance reform, noting that in 2004 she "came in at a troubling time in our state's history."
That was a reference to her ascension from lieutenant governor on July 1, 2004, after the resignation of former Gov. John G. Rowland during a corruption scandal that later sent him to federal prison for 10 months.
Rell began the startling news conference that broke the calm of a Monday evening at the Capitol with a typically folksy thank you to those who participated in a holiday food drive in recent days. She walked into the room with a smile on her face and no one trailing her to the lectern, making it seem that it could be just another announcement. That continued when she talked about the food drive, but then she switched gears.
"The second thing I'd like to do is I want to share with you the news that, after much soul searching and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election next year."
Those few words will set off a major scramble among Republican hopefuls including Fedele, who already has said he would seek the governorship if Rell decided against running, House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk, and Senate Republican leader John McKinney of Southport.
Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination will heat up because now many more Democrats will believe they have a chance to win in 2010. Democratic hopefuls include longtime Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz; former U.S. Sen. candidate Ned Lamont; former House Speaker James Amann; and state Sen. Gary Lebeau.
Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele said that Rell has told him privately that she will support him -- even if there are other Republican candidates in the race. Fedele reiterated that he will run for governor.
If that were really true, an end to RINOs would have been worth it.
She sees the Tsunami on the horizon.
true.
No real argument, except in not saying she never fought for Republican ideas, abandoned every republican principle once she was placed in office after Rowland was busted, and didn’t do a damn thing worth remembering except raise the budget every year just as the dems asked her to, knowing our state was in the tank fiscally.
Rell might as well been a Democrat. It will be a transference of power from the OP(formerly the GOP) wing of the socialist Republicrat party to the RAT wing of the party.
“She sees the Tsunami on the horizon.”
Do you mean the state budget meltdown, or the 2010 elections?
For a second I thought it said Reid.
Patience. It’ll happen.
Is Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele any better?
yes
Not really. Maybe on abortion. But he's in the pocket of the environmentalist wackos, state employee unions, and has a C rating from the NRA. He's the great white hope, since the other potential GOP candidates: House Republican leader Larry Cafero and Senate Minority leader John McKinney are borderline socialists.
She cited accomplishments including ethics.
Since when is being ethical an accomplishment??
Where the hell do I live anymore. This stuff is un believable
...will set off a major scramble among Republican hopefuls including Fedele, who already has said he would seek the governorship if Rell decided against running, House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk, and Senate Republican leader John McKinney of Southport. Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination will heat up because now many more Democrats will believe they have a chance to win in 2010. Democratic hopefuls include longtime Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz; former U.S. Sen. candidate Ned Lamont; former House Speaker James Amann; and state Sen. Gary Lebeau. Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele said that Rell has told him privately that she will support him -- even if there are other Republican candidates in the race. Fedele reiterated that he will run for governor.
I guess the insider information that I had as an outsider is no longer insider information. (But I am remaining an outsider.)
Worst RINO Governor of CT EVER steps aside. Maybe some of the Senate candidates can switch races ?
It is Connecticut. How much better can we expect? As someone who lived in New Canaan years ago I can’t remember the last tue Conservative in Connecticut.
But now the RAT floodgates are going to open wide. We're going to end up with a FAR WORSE democRAT governor, IMO.
Chomping at the bit to be CT governor are far lefties Ned Lamont, Susan Bysiewicz, Dannel Malloy, John DeStefano, Richard Blumenthal, et al.
There's no way we'll end up with a conservative or even a RINO as governor of CT once Jodi Rell leaves office. It's gonna be a far-left democRAT, mark my words. Personally, I would prefer Rell over those I listed above.
Governor Ned Lamont??? God help us.
What about Schiff? He could give up the Senate race.
DAMN I read Reid for some reason. I got so excited for a second.
Who's a possibility on the Right/Center-Right?
Was it Prescott Bush, whose conservatism was also questioned?
Yep. If my husband weren't tied to this area because of career and family, we'd be outta here in a New York minute. We've had our fill of living in a GAY deep blue state, high taxes, long winters and high heating bills.
Who's a possibility on the Right/Center-Right?
Nobody viable that I'm aware of. I fear we'll end up with a Deval Patrick, a John Corzine, David Patterson or a Jennifer Granholm. And with a 'RAT legislature to boot. Connecticut will quickly go the way of Michigan.
Ann Coulter still lives in Connecticut, right? Seriously, no conservative has a serious chance of winning this race in Connecticut, because the majority of its voters are moonbats, just like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Sad!
I think she'll just retire and make quilts or something for the grandkids.
I used to live in Fairfield, CT - I think Glenn Beck now living in your old stomping grounds may be the only one left!
I think Ann's official residence is now Florida, to escape the insane Blue State Taxes... but I'm not sure about that.
I read a recent article about Glenn Beck... he does live in New Canaan, CT.
Buh Bye M.
You are not a RINO, you are a Democrat But In Name. You stood for nothing in which I believe, and for everthing that I despise. Gutless, souless sellout. Please don’t bother serving the rest of your term. Leave now, no one will notice you are gone.
Maybe... I admit I don't know much about him or what kind of $$$ he has to run an effective campaign. Ned Lamont has millions...
You can bet on it. Makes me sick... Rell is far from perfect, but I'd take her over what we're probably going to get stuck with after 2010 any day.
It won't be long before Connecticut goes the way of Michigan. CT's biggest cities are already starting to resemble Detroit.
So who will be the conservative to take her place?
I can, but I am probably dating myself. We haven’t had a decent governor since!
The unions themselves as in the leadership. NOT the members, who really have no choice as to whether or not to join. You would be surprised at how many of the membership do not support the union politically.
More and more reason to leave the whole NE, and soon.
Yes they are, and it is heartbreaking, crime and all.
It is heartbreaking to have witnessed these cities' decline since The Great Society era.
Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and I believe even Stamford used to be beautiful cities. Mark Twain settled in Hartford, and actually compared his hometown to Paris, France! Twain wouldn't recognize his once fair city if he were alive today...
I wish my husband and I could leave tomorrow, but we can't do it yet. One of these years... ;-)
Last one out of the northeast, turn out the lights...
Rell signed Connecticut up for the ReGGI “cap and trade” scheme. She raised taxes enormously. If CT turns into Michigan it will be her fault. She is to the left of every Democratic governor in the country I can think of, with the possible exception of Jon Corzine.
Schiff seems less suited to be a Governor than a Senator.
Sam Caligiuri on the other hand is a state senator so he knows about state government.
I wouldn’t bet either of them will change races.
I was pleased to read this news. Rell is super-useless. A horrible rat governor like Lamont may at least give the state GOP a needed kick in the pants. ?
The biggest fish for the rats though would be AG Blumenthal who has been sitting on the pot about running for Governor forever.
Actually, I think Blumenthal has coveted one of the Senate seats (specifically, Lieberman’s).
Oh please.
It’s only going to get worse in CT under a ‘RAT governor, IMO.
Yes he would have run against RINO appointee Shays or Nancy Johnson if Liarman had been elected VP.
I figure Liarman will run in the rat primary again and I think Blumenthal is too much of a coward to run against him.
He could wait till 2016 and run against Dodd’s successor.
Blumenthal seems to me to want to move up to either office. This would be his best chance of winning.
Hey antiObamaism has seemed to give the national party a kick in the pants.
Long term thinking.
I don’t want a filthy rat to win but the possibly of him doing so poorly as to hurt his party at least provides a silver lining that doesn’t exist with a superrino like Rell who basically you need to look at as a less than insanely liberal democrat.
The questions is would rather risk for possible future gains or except a superrino to ever so slightly SLOW the leftist tide.
A course a decent moderate/conservative Republican would be preferred to both those options.
As a resident I disagree. The stuff she vetoed was horrific. And the gay marriage crap was mandated by the stupid court. Get a Susan Bieczowitz (?) in there and she will make Rell look like Reagan. Or worse, Skeletor Blumenthal.
I agree. Rell has not been bad considering those nutjobs.
That’s saying something for a state that once had Lowell Weicker as its governor. Although, Weicker might have been an independent by the time he was governor.
Blumenthal isn’t getting any younger, either. His Wikipedia page mentioned he was forgoing the Gov’s race and potentially thinking of running for the Senate in ‘12, but that was prior to Rell’s announcement. I can’t imagine him waiting until 2016 to run for the Senate, he’d be nearly 71 at the start of the term, a bit too old to begin to accrue seniority (and he’d start off a backbencher). The only person I know of who started off close to that age who still managed to make a career out of it was Theodore Green in RI (started at 69, retired at 93). Apparently, too, he’s regarded as a caricature in the state in his nearly 20 years in the AG’s office, a cross between Eliot Spitzer and Chuck Schumer. Were he to get the Gov’s nod, that rep might come back to bite him (sure, they can tolerate his grandstanding shenanigans as AG, but not in the Governor’s office).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.