United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2012

The 2012 United States Senate election in Connecticut will be held on November 6, 2012 in conjunction with the 2012 U.S. presidential election

United States presidential election, 2012

The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...

, other elections to the United States Senate

United States Senate elections, 2012

Elections to the United States Senate are to be held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies...

in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives elections, 2012

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections will be held on November 6, 2012. Elections will be held for all 435 seats, representing the 50 U.S. states. Elections will also be held for the delegates from the District of Columbia and five major U.S. territories.The winners of this...

, and various state and local elections. Primaries for the Republican and Democratic parties, if necessary to select party-endorsed candidates, will take place on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
Incumbent U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman

Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...

, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a fifth term.

Background

In the 2006 election

United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2006

The 2006 United States Senate election in Connecticut was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman lost the August 8th Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. Lieberman formed his own third party and won in the general election to a fourth term.-Democratic primary:The...

, incumbent

Incumbent

The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...

Joe Lieberman

was defeated in the Democratic primary

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

by businessman Ned Lamont

Ned Lamont

Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...

and formed his own party, Connecticut for Lieberman

Connecticut for Lieberman

Connecticut for Lieberman is a Connecticut political party created by twenty-five supporters of Senator Joe Lieberman. The party was created to enable Lieberman to run for re-election following his defeat in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary...

, winning re-election. Lieberman promised to remain in the Senate Democratic Caucus, but has since crossed the Democrats on many significant issues, including his endorsement of Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

2008 presidential nominee

United States presidential election, 2008

The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

over Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, despite his earlier promise to support the Democratic nominee. As a result, Lieberman's poll numbers have dropped significantly.

Connecticut Attorney General

Connecticut Attorney General

The Connecticut Attorney General is the state attorney general of Connecticut.The Attorney General is elected to a four-year term. The current Attorney General is George Jepsen, a Democrat serving since January 5, 2011.-List of Attorneys General:...

Richard Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he served as Attorney General of Connecticut....

was reportedly considering a run against Lieberman, but instead ran for and won Connecticut's other Senate seat in 2010

United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2010

The 2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut was a midterm election which took place on November 2, 2010 to decide a Class III Senator from the State of Connecticut to join the 112th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic U.S...

after U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd

Christopher Dodd

Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....

announced his retirement.

Lieberman had publicly floated the possibility of running as a Democrat, Republican, or an independent. However, he announced on January 19, 2011 that he would not run for another term.

Declared

Susan Bysiewicz
Susan Bysiewicz
Susan Bysiewicz served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1999 to 2011. She was briefly a candidate for Governor of Connecticut in 2010, before dropping out to run for Connecticut Attorney General. She was disqualified from running for the office by the Connecticut Supreme Court and...

, former Connecticut secretary of the state
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy (politician)
Christopher Scott "Chris" Murphy is the U. S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.Murphy previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut Senate....

, U.S. representative
William Tong
William Tong
William Tong serves as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. First elected in November 2006, he represents the 147th district, which includes parts of Stamford and New Canaan...

, state representative
Lee Whitnum
Lee Whitnum
Lee Whitnum is an American writer and politician. She is an outspoken critic of the Israeli lobby and gained notoriety on that issue in the 2010 Connecticut U.S. Senate race as a Democrat. She also takes a hard stand against illegal and legal "white collar" immigration as a way to curtail...

, anti-AIPAC activist and software engineer

Declined

Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...

, actor
Frank Borges, former state treasurer
Joe Courtney
Joe Courtney (politician)
Joseph Courtney is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:Courtney grew up in suburban Hartford and became a 1975 graduate of Tufts University...

, U.S. representative
Rosa DeLauro
Rosa DeLauro
Rosa L. DeLauro is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in New Haven, and includes most of that city's suburbs.-Early life, education and career:...

, U.S. representative
Jim Himes
Jim Himes
James A. "Jim" Himes is an American businessman and U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

, U.S. representative
Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., investment banker
Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...

, former Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...

selectman and 2006 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2006
The 2006 United States Senate election in Connecticut was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman lost the August 8th Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. Lieberman formed his own third party and won in the general election to a fourth term.-Democratic primary:The...
John Larson, U.S. representative

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz	Chris Murphy	William Tong	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	400	± 4.9%	33%	39%	8%	—	19%
Quinnipiac	September 8-13, 2011	447	± 4.6%	26%	36%	1%	2%	35%
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	400	± 4.9%	38%	40%	—	—	21%

Declared

Brian Hill, attorney
Jason L. McCoy
Jason L. McCoy
Jason L. McCoy is the Mayor of Vernon, Connecticut, and a lawyer. McCoy was elected to his first term in 2007. In 2009, McCoy was re-elected as mayor. He had served on the Vernon Town Council and was the Deputy Mayor of Vernon from 2005 to 2007. In 2009, McCoy was one of six mayors in Connecticut...

, mayor of Vernon, Connecticut
Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...

, businesswoman and 2010 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate
United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut was a midterm election which took place on November 2, 2010 to decide a Class III Senator from the State of Connecticut to join the 112th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic U.S...
Chris Shays, former U.S. representative

Potential

Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 107thThe State of Connecticut recognizes Michael Fedele as the 107th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants as well as counting lieutenants who had...

, former Connecticut lieutenant governor
L. Scott Frantz, state senator
John Ratzenberger
John Ratzenberger
John Deszo Ratzenberger is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.-Early life:...

, actor

Declined

Tom Foley
Thomas C. Foley
Thomas Coleman "Tom" Foley is a former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Connecticut businessman, and was the Republican candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election in Connecticut.-Early life and education:...

, former U.S. ambassador to Ireland
United States Ambassador to Ireland
There have been a total of 30 Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland meaning the Republic of Ireland. All except one, Frederick A. Sterling, have been non-career appointees, while there were three under President George W. Bush.-List of Ambassadors:...

and 2010
Connecticut gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010 to elect the 73rd Governor of Connecticut. Incumbent Governor M. Jodi Rell had announced in a press conference in Hartford on November 9, 2009, that she would not seek re-election in 2010...

Republican gubernatorial candidate
Chris Meek
Chris Meek
Christopher Douglas Meek is a philanthropist and American businessman. Meek is a Financial Services Executive and is the founder and Chairman of START Now! and Soldiersocks. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the and Career Resources...

, businessman and founder of a non-profit organization (running for the House)
Peter Schiff
Peter Schiff
Peter David Schiff is an American investment broker, author and financial commentator. Schiff is CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a broker-dealer based in Westport, Connecticut and CEO of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, LLC, a gold and silver dealer based in New York...

, economist and financial analyst
Rob Simmons
Rob Simmons
Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing Connecticut's Second Congressional District as a Republican.Simmons ran as a candidate for the...

, former U.S. Representative
David Walker
David M. Walker (U.S. Comptroller General)
David M. Walker served as United States Comptroller General from 1998 to 2008, and is now the Founder and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative.- Career as Comptroller General :...

, former Comptroller General of the United States
Comptroller General of the United States
The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office , a legislative branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and managerial accountability of the federal government...

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jason McCoy	Linda McMahon	Chris Shays	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	400	± 4.9%	3%	60%	27%	—	10%

Endorsements

Endorsements for Chris Shays

Campaign

Susan Bysiewicz was the first to declare herself as a candidate. However, by March 2011 Chris Murphy had raised over $1 million, more than Susan Bysiewicz, who had raised $500,000. Murphy had won election to Connecticut's 5th congressional district, which is considered Republican-leaning, and he promoted himself as the most electable candidate against a Republican challenger. Bysiewicz, the former Secretary of the State of Connecticut, enjoyed high name recognition while a statewide officeholder, and had a formidable face-off with Murphy. William Tong, a state representative, joined the race touting his biography as the son of Chinese immigrants working at a Chinese restaurant.

Wide speculation continued on Linda McMahon, who had a widely-publicized and potentially close race for senator in 2010

Linda McMahon U.S. Senate campaign, 2010

Linda McMahon, formerly CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, ran for U.S. Senator from Connecticut from September 16, 2009 to November 4, 2010. On May 21, 2010, she won a majority of support from the Connecticut Republican Party. She ran as a Republican, promising lower taxes, fiscal conservatism,...

. She lost the election, but had strong finances and a well-established political organization. McMahon met with her former campaign consultant to review her 2010 results, and said she was leaning towards running. She plans to make a decision regarding another run after the start of 2012. Congressman Chris Shays joined in August 2011, promoting his involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan's military contracting.

with Susan Bysiewicz

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Mark Boughton (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	44%	34%	22%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Michael Fedele (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	45%	35%	20%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Scott Frantz (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	45%	30%	24%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Linda McMahon (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	47%	46%	7%
Quinnipiac	September 8-13, 2011	1,230	± 2.8%	46%	38%	12%
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	50%	39%	12%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Chris Shays (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	37%	48%	16%
Quinnipiac	September 8-13, 2011	1,230	± 2.8%	40%	42%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Susan Bysiewicz (D)	Rob Simmons (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	41%	42%	17%
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	42%	39%	19%

with Chris Murphy

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Mark Boughton (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	52%	29%	19%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Michael Fedele (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	51%	29%	20%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Scott Frantz (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	51%	27%	22%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Linda McMahon (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	50%	43%	6%
Quinnipiac	September 8-13, 2011	1,230	± 2.8%	49%	38%	11%
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	54%	38%	9%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Chris Shays (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	43%	39%	18%
Quinnipiac	September 8-13, 2011	1,230	± 2.8%	43%	37%	17%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Murphy (D)	Rob Simmons (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	45%	36%	20%
Public Policy Polling	March 17-20, 2011	822	± 3.4%	49%	34%	18%

With William Tong

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	William Tong (D)	Linda McMahon (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	38%	45%	17%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	William Tong (D)	Chris Shays (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	27%	46%	27%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	William Tong (D)	Rob Simmons (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 22-25, 2011	592	± 4.0%	32%	39%	29%

{| class="navbox collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left; border:0; margin-top:0.2em;"
|-
! style="background:#cff; font-weight:normal;"|
Hypothetical polling
|-
| style="border:solid 1px silver; padding:8px; background:white;"|

With Joe Lieberman
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:180px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Joe
Lieberman (I)
! style="width:100px;"| Chris
Murphy (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Peter
Schiff (R)
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling
| align=center| September 30-October 2, 2010
| align=center| 810
| align=center| ± 3.4%
| align=center| 19%
| align=center| 39%
| align=center| 25%
| align=center| 17%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:180px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Joe
Lieberman (I)
! style="width:100px;"| Chris
Murphy (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Jodi
Rell (R)
! Undecided
|-
| rowspan=2| Public Policy Polling
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| September 30-October 2, 2010
| align=center| 810
| align=center| ± 3.4%
| align=center| 17%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| 29%
| align=center| 17%
|-
| align=center| 810
| align=center| ± 3.4%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| 47%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 20%
|-
| rowspan=2| Research 2000
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| January 11-13, 2010
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
| align=center| 23%
| align=center| 25%
| align=center| 47%
| align=center| 2%
|-
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
| align=center| 26%
| align=center| 45%
| align=center| —
| align=center| —
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:140px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Joe
Lieberman (I)
! style="width:100px;"| Ned
Lamont (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Jodi
Rell (R)
! Undecided
|-
| Research 2000
| align=center| September 8-10, 2009
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
|align=center| 26%
|align=center| 26%
| align=center| 46%
| align=center| 2%
|-
| Research 2000
| align=center| March 23-25, 2008
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
|align=center| 25%
|align=center| 30%
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 2%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:140px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Joe
Lieberman (I)
! style="width:100px;"| Ned
Lamont (D)
! style="width:100px;"| Alan
Schlesinger (R)
! Undecided
|-
| Research 2000
| align=center| November 11-13, 2008
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
| align=center| 34%
| align=center| 59%
| align=center| 3%
| align=center| 2%
|-
| Research 2000
| align=center| June 30-July 2, 2008
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| 51%
| align=center| 7%
| align=center| 6%
|-
| Research 2000
| align=center| March 31-April 2, 2008
| align=center| 600
| align=center| ± 4.0%
|align=center| 37%
| align=center| 51%
| align=center| 7%
| align=center| 5%
|}

External links

Connecticut Secretary of State - Elections and Voting
U.S. Congress candidates for Connecticut at Project Vote Smart
Project Vote Smart
Project Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...

Official campaign websites

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Background

Declared

Declined

Polling

Declared

Potential

Declined

Polling

Endorsements

Campaign

with Susan Bysiewicz

with Chris Murphy

With William Tong

See also

External links