Dr. Petit Says, ‘I'm Not Running as a Crime Victim'

Dr. William Petit says he's running for the Connecticut legislature as a fiscal conservative, not as a crime victim. 

The Republican became a national figure after surviving a 2007 home invasion in Cheshire in which his wife and two young daughters were murdered. 

He is running against 11-term Democratic incumbent Betty Boukus, the House chair of the legislature's powerful bonding subcommittee. 

Quinnipiac political science professor Scott McLean calls him a "gift to Republicans and a nightmare for the opposition," partly because he is such a sympathetic candidate. 

Petit said he would be an advocate for victims' rights, but isn't planning to try and bring back the death penalty. 

He thinks the Democrats are spending too much and he's getting into politics to help tackle the state's fiscal problems. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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