Senate Democrats are scrambling today after learning that 2 of their more prominent members, Sen. Byron Dorgan(D-ND) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) will not run for reelection in the fall.
Sen. Dorgan was expected to cruise to an easy reelection victory, while Sen. Dodd would have had a more difficult time, but was still expected to win in the liberal state of Connecticut. GOP leaders are salivating at the possibility of stealing one or both seats, thereby ending the short Democratic control of the U.S. Senate. Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine is convening with Senate leaders to find comparable replacement candidates, who could conduct a financially successful and victorious fall campaign, at this already very late date.
HuffPost:Facing a tough reelection, Dodd said that "there are moments for each elected public servant to step aside and let someone else step up." Dodd hasn't offered clues as to where he might step next, although there's been speculation that he may join the administration. But K Street will inevitably beckon as well. Dorgan addressed his future plans in a statement: "I would like to do some teaching and would also like to work on energy policy in the private sector." Working on energy policy in the private sector sounds a lot like working for a lobbying firm, but the senator's office declined to elaborate when queried by HuffPost.Senators are required to wait two years after leaving office before they can lobby Congress, but the "cooling off" period isn't really much of an obstacle. Among other things, it doesn't prevent lobbyists at the firm from using a former senator's expertise… Read more »