Retirements

Why Dodd Quit

“This is my moment to step aside.”

It’s official: Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd will not run for reelection. “I’m very aware of my present political standing,” Dodd said when listing his reasons for bowing out. The embattled Connecticut Democrat's popularity dropped owing to his support for AIG and Countrywide Financial. So who is Richard Blumenthal, the state attorney general who is expected to succeed him? In 2000, David Plotz wrote for Slate, “Blumenthal was supposed to be ‘the Jewish Kennedy.’ Now the 54-year-old finds himself in the autumn of his career fighting for Joe Lieberman's sloppy seconds.” At the time, he was hoping to run for Lieberman’s seat if Lieberman became vice president. His problem has been, mostly, that there has never been an opening for him to fill.