Contraception

'Where Are The Women?' Democrats Go On Offense Over Contraception

Pema Levy | February 17, 2012, 5:58AM

Democrats have a new rallying cry when it comes to the Obama administration's hotly contested contraception rule. Thursday, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) gazed at an all male panel at yesterday's House Oversight hearing and asked, "Where are the women?" The question is being repeated by Democrats and women's rights groups as they attempt to shape the narrative of the contraception issue.

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CT-SEN

Poll: Dems Hold Double-Digit Leads In Race For Lieberman's Seat

Jon Terbush | March 24, 2011, 8:44AM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

A new PPP poll of registered voters in Connecticut shows Democrats with big leads in hypothetical match-ups for the seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT-I).

In the poll, two potential Democratic candidates, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz and Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), comfortably led a number of potential GOP challengers, posting double-digit leads in every potential match-up included in the survey.

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CT-SEN

PPP Poll: Murphy, Bysiewicz In Close Dem Primary For CT-SEN

Eric Kleefeld | March 22, 2011, 5:40PM

CT-SEN Democratic candidates Chris Murphy and Susan Bysiewicz

A new survey of Connecticut by Public Policy Polling (D), commissioned by Daily Kos, shows Democrats starting out heavily favored to keep the open seat of retiring Dem-aligned independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, with the two candidates Chris Murphy and Susan Bysiewicz starting out in a close primary.

Murphy, a three-term Congressman, and Bysiewicz, a former Connecticut Secretary of State, are in a statistical dead heat at 40% for Murphy, to 38% for Bysiewicz. The survey of likely Democratic primary voters has a ±4.9% margin of error, and the primary is a long way off -- in August 2012.

In a wider sample of registered voters for the general election, Murphy and Bysiewicz both lead all five possible Republican opponents, none of whom are officially in the race: 2010 nominee and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, 2010 candidate and former Rep. Rob Simmons, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, and state Sen. Scott Frantz.

112th Congress

Reps. Weiner and Murphy: Force Politicized Supremes to Recuse Themselves

Benjy Sarlin | March 1, 2011, 5:28PM

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

Taking up progressive complaints that the Supreme Court has become dangerously politicized, Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) are introducing legislation that could require justices to recuse themselves in certain cases.

"The problem is the only person who can decide whether Justice Thomas can recuse himself is Justice Thomas," Murphy told reporters at a press conference outside the Capitol. "That's wrong and that needs to change."

The bill would allow the Judicial Conference, which determines standards of recusal for federal judges, to examine Supreme Court members as well and create guidelines for determining a conflict of interest. They could even force members to step down from certain cases if they determined a procedure for such a move. The bill would also require members to offer an explanation if they decide to recuse themselves voluntarily as to why they declined to judge a case.

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CT-SEN

CT-SEN Candidate Chris Murphy: 'The Filibuster Is In Dire Need Of Reform'

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 4:32PM

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) laid out some key priorities of his newly-launched campaign for the Senate seat held by retiring independent Sen. Joe Lieberman -- with filibuster reform being one of his top concerns.

Murphy said that during his travels throughout his House district, "I've heard a real frustration with the U.S. Senate, and how it too often stands as an unjustifiable barrier to positive change." He said that his campaign would discuss issues such as the economy, but also reforming the Senate so it is no longer, in Murphy's words, "an old boys' club" that stops progress on key issues.

"Part of the reason that reform can't occur in the Senate is because of the way they do business," Murphy laster said, during the Q&A. "The filibuster is in dire need of reform. Whether or not it needs to go away, we need to reform the way the filibuster is used, so it is not used in the order of everyday policy, but is only used in exceptional circumstances."

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CT-SEN

Rep. Chris Murphy Launches CT-SEN Campaign, Second Dem In The Race (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 11:03AM

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

Democrats now have a primary in the Connecticut Senate race, where incumbent independent Sen. Joe Lieberman is retiring. Rep. Chris Murphy has officially announced his campaign -- and in his announcement video, he clearly pitches himself as a more liberal change from the ex-Dem Lieberman who split with the party over foreign policy.

"Connecticut deserves a new progressive voice in the Senate," Murphy says "who listens to us, who knows that creating jobs requires extending health care to all Americans, and that reducing our deficit means bringing these wars to an end."

Murphy also makes an interesting pledge of openness during the campaign: "So think of this as me knocking on your door. If you send me a question or a comment, I'll respond -- to every single one. Because the only way we do this, is together."

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Joe Lieberman

Poll: Lieberman Trails Badly In 2012 Match-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2010, 5:32PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

The new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of Connecticut provides a further data point that independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is next up for reelection in 2012, may be unelectable.

In a two-way race with second-term Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy, Lieberman trails Murphy by a 45%-26% margin. In a three-way race with Gov. Jodi Rell, who is retiring this year, Rell comes in first with 47%, with Murphy in a distant second at 25%, and Lieberman with 23%.

Two weeks ago, a survey from Public Policy Polling (D) found that Lieberman had alienated every partisan group in the state -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- by both weakening progressive efforts on the health care bill but ultimately voting for the Senate bill itself.

CT-SEN

GOP Field Against Dodd Shrinking, From Five Candidates To Four (And Maybe Three)

Eric Kleefeld | November 24, 2009, 2:06PM

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

The huge field of GOP candidates to oppose Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) has just gotten a bit smaller, and could shrink even further, as the state readjusts to an open gubernatorial race.

Former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley has announced that he is now considering a run for governor, in the wake of GOP Gov. Jodi Rell's announcement that she's retiring: "We no longer have an incumbent Governor seeking re-election. I have had a number of conversations with people who are encouraging me to consider running for Governor because they believe I could better serve Connecticut today as Governor than as a Senator. They believe that as an experienced executive and someone who understands the economy and how jobs are created, I have a background and set of skills uniquely suited to addressing the very serious spending problems and other economic challenges now facing our state."

State Sen. Sam Caligiuri has also announced that he's definitely out of the Senate race, and is instead running for the House of Representatives against second-term Democrat Chris Murphy.

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