CT-Gov: Rell Won't Run For Re-Election; SSP Moves to Tossup

[ccharles000]

Big news out of the Nutmeg State:

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell says she will not seek re-election next year.
Rell made the announcement in a news conference with reporters Monday at the statehouse in Hartford.

This comes as a surprise, as Rell has had fairly high job approval ratings, although they'd been trending downwards lately, and a recent bit of ethical bad news couldn't have helped matters. Democrats already in the hunt include Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, 2006 Senate candidate Ned Lamont, and Stamford mayor Dan Malloy. Without a Republican in the field yet, and given the state's bluish hue, Swing State Project is immediately moving the Connecticut race to "Tossup" (and may move it further in the Democrats' direction once the field gets better sorted out).

UPDATE: The Hartford Courant sheds a little more light on the possible Republican field. Current Lt. Governor Michael Fedele has apparently already said he would seek the GOP nomination if Rell didn't, and also says that Rell privately promised her support in such a case. The article also cites state House minority leader Larry Cafero and state Senate minority leader John McKinney (who begged out of a CT-04 run recently) as possible candidates.

http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/5884/ctgov-rell-wont-run-for-reelection-ssp-moves-to-tossup

[w4rma]

1. Governor Ned Lamont! Awesome!

I wonder which candidate LIEberman will endorse?

[romantico]

2. I'm

I'm 100% behind Ned Lamont, but I have to say Rell was not a bad Governor.She was a true moderate and in my opinion, pretty fair.