Being governor is no easy job, especially in this economy, but that’s not stopping people from clamoring for the top state job.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley has dropped his bid for the U.S. Senate seat Christopher Dodd holds and is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Connecticut governor instead.
In remarks prepared for a speech Thursday afternoon to supporters in Hartford, Foley says that hundreds of people asked him to run after Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell decided not to seek another term.
Foley says that he believes the next governor should be someone from outside Hartford who is accountable to voters, and "I want to be that governor."
Foley is leaving one crowded field of potential candidates to join another.
On Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele said he’s looking to bump up a rank and is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.
R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel, CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance, is also considering running for governor. He hasn’t formed an exploratory committee but is looking into the possibility of running.
Local
Pollsters are calling U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd vulnerable as the 2010 election approaches and several people have jumped in the race, so many in fact, that Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy reportedly asked Sam Caligiuri to leave the Senate race to run for the 5th District U.S. House seat.
