casper
01-07-2010, 09:27 AM
Recent controversies overshadow Chris Dodd's career
By Kristi Keck, CNN
(CNN) -- Sen. Chris Dodd's announcement that he is retiring follows an illustrious career, but one that has recently been overshadowed by controversies, political woes and personal tragedies.
"I love my job as your senator. I always have, still do. However, this past year has raised some challenges that insisted I take stock of my life," the Democratic senator said in front of his Connecticut home Wednesday.
During this session of Congress, Dodd was at the center of what he called the "two most important issues of our time": health care and financial reform.
Dodd is chairman of the banking committee, and when his close friend and colleague, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, was battling brain cancer, he stepped in as acting chairman of the Senate health committee.
The death of Kennedy in August was devastating for Dodd, who worked alongside the Massachusetts senator for decades. And Kennedy's death came just weeks after Dodd's sister passed away.
And Dodd, 65, was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer last summer.
"In the midst of all of this, [I] found myself in the toughest political shape of my career," Dodd said Wednesday.
A source close to Dodd says his recent personal tragedies and challenges weighed heavily in his decision to retire.
Dodd is Connecticut's longest-serving senator. He took office in 1981 after three terms in the House. But his prospects in the upcoming election were not good.
An internal Dodd campaign poll taken last month showed him trailing the leading Republican contender for his seat, Rob Simmons, 46-51 percent. That deficit is significant in the Democratic-leaning state of Connecticut, where the same poll shows President Obama with a high favorability rating.
Another source close to Dodd said he had been well aware of his uphill battle for months. The source said his political reality was a big part the reason he decided not to seek re-election, but insisted, "this isn't a decision forced upon him or by anyone. He was looking at his career, looking at his record of accomplishments over the past 35 years, asking what else is there."
Personal and political challenges "have given me pause to take stock and to ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do: Why am I running?," Dodd said.
Dodd's announcement came almost two years to the day that he abandoned his presidential run. He said at the time that he counted his experience on the presidential campaign trail as one of the most rewarding of his career in public service.
"It was obviously an uphill battle from the beginning, and I think that those are the times that you really see the character of the person that you are working for," said Taylor West, a Democratic strategist who worked on Dodd's campaign.
"He conducted that campaign in the way that I've seen him do everything else, which was with a lot of class and a lot of dedication," she said.
By Kristi Keck, CNN
(CNN) -- Sen. Chris Dodd's announcement that he is retiring follows an illustrious career, but one that has recently been overshadowed by controversies, political woes and personal tragedies.
"I love my job as your senator. I always have, still do. However, this past year has raised some challenges that insisted I take stock of my life," the Democratic senator said in front of his Connecticut home Wednesday.
During this session of Congress, Dodd was at the center of what he called the "two most important issues of our time": health care and financial reform.
Dodd is chairman of the banking committee, and when his close friend and colleague, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, was battling brain cancer, he stepped in as acting chairman of the Senate health committee.
The death of Kennedy in August was devastating for Dodd, who worked alongside the Massachusetts senator for decades. And Kennedy's death came just weeks after Dodd's sister passed away.
And Dodd, 65, was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer last summer.
"In the midst of all of this, [I] found myself in the toughest political shape of my career," Dodd said Wednesday.
A source close to Dodd says his recent personal tragedies and challenges weighed heavily in his decision to retire.
Dodd is Connecticut's longest-serving senator. He took office in 1981 after three terms in the House. But his prospects in the upcoming election were not good.
An internal Dodd campaign poll taken last month showed him trailing the leading Republican contender for his seat, Rob Simmons, 46-51 percent. That deficit is significant in the Democratic-leaning state of Connecticut, where the same poll shows President Obama with a high favorability rating.
Another source close to Dodd said he had been well aware of his uphill battle for months. The source said his political reality was a big part the reason he decided not to seek re-election, but insisted, "this isn't a decision forced upon him or by anyone. He was looking at his career, looking at his record of accomplishments over the past 35 years, asking what else is there."
Personal and political challenges "have given me pause to take stock and to ask questions that too few of us in elected public life ever do: Why am I running?," Dodd said.
Dodd's announcement came almost two years to the day that he abandoned his presidential run. He said at the time that he counted his experience on the presidential campaign trail as one of the most rewarding of his career in public service.
"It was obviously an uphill battle from the beginning, and I think that those are the times that you really see the character of the person that you are working for," said Taylor West, a Democratic strategist who worked on Dodd's campaign.
"He conducted that campaign in the way that I've seen him do everything else, which was with a lot of class and a lot of dedication," she said.