More on Cappiello's Congressional Run

The News-Times has now reported that State Senator David Cappiello (R-24) has filed paper work to run for Congress against Congressman Chris Murphy. It was said that Cappiello filed paperwork last week sometime, and now it has become official. So--will it be Murphy vs. Cappiello or someone else? As of right now, Sen. Cappiello is the only announced candidate, but others have been expected to emerge. Whatever the case...we have a race here in the fifth district. This is sure getting fun!

Remember---you heard the news here first! Make sure you take our new poll!

UPDATE: Here is the full article from the News-Times and the Hartford Courant. Just for the record -- Cappiello has said that he will officially announce his run after the legislative session ends on June 6th. Stay tuned!

Fifth Poll Results

Our latest poll question was whether you approve of the Republican-controlled Common Council. This was one of the closest poll questions yet as the results were the following:

Yes: 8 (62%)
N0: 5 (38%)
Not Sure: 0 (0%)

A new poll is up so make sure that you take it. Remember to come back often, and comment on the issues.

Danbury & Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama is the youngest candidate running for President, and has attracted the youth. He is currently represents Illinois, being elected in 2004. Previously he was in the Illinois State Senate. Almost everyone can agree that Obama lacks experience, however he is using that to his benefit saying that it is time to change government. He has been considered the second best candidate on the Democratic side. His high fund-raising mark has really evenly tied him up with Hillary Clinton, at least on the money side. The following is the most recent poll from Polling Report showing where Obama stands in the crowded field of Democratic candidates:

Hillary Clinton -- 41%
Barack Obama -- 20%
Al Gore -- 16%
John Edwards -- 12%

Now Danbury Democrats have gone with the leading candidate in the primaries, picking Gore and Kerry. However, since Obama has just as much money as Hillary he has shown that he is definitely a huge possibility of getting the nomination. Something tells me that Danbury may go for Obama, possibly because they want change. He has been against the Iraq War since the start, which could attract young voters in Danbury, as well as liberal Democrats. Unlike the Republicans, who are moderate and would make much sense if they pick Giuliani, the Democrats in Danbury have many candidates to choose from. Here is the most recent poll from Quinnipiac University showing Obama slightly behind Hillary in Connecticut:

Clinton -- 33%
Obama -- 21%
Gore -- 9%
Dodd -- 8%
Edwards -- 5%

If Obama get's the Democratic nomination, he does pretty well in head to head match-ups against the top Republican candidates here in Connecticut. He does well as a whole against John McCain, but not that great in our area--Fairfield County.

Connecticut
Obama -- 43%
McCain -- 38%

Fairfield County
Obama -- 39%
McCain -- 44%

Barack Obama has already made history running for President, and his ability to attract young voters and people who are just tired of Washington politics is impressive. If enough people agree with him on that then he has a very good chance of being the next President. What will make or break it for Obama is if voters want a person who has more experience because if that's the case, Obama is in trouble. However, he hasn't had any major obstacles yet.

Cappiello Running For Congress

It has been reported that our very own State Senator, David Cappiello (R-24), has filed with the FEC, a campaign committee to run against Congressman Chris Murphy (D-5). You can read the story here.

Cappiello was first elected to the State Senate in 1998. Before that, he served as a State Representative, representing the 138th district. You can click here to get his official biography, or click here to read a post I previously wrote about him.

Senator Cappiello hopes to defeat Chris Murphy, who was elected this past November, defeating twenty-four year incumbent Nancy Johnson. Murphy has already raised 420,000 dollars, having the edge in money. However, Cappiello is one of the most well-liked politicians in our area. It will be interesting to see if any other Republicans will come out and announce their intention to run as well. We'll wait and see what develops.

Where's The Money Going?

I thought that some of you political junkies would find this interesting. I was a little bit surprised when I saw this. The following is a list of the amount of money people from our state contributed to most of the presidential candidates:

1. Dodd (D) : 1,006,411
2. Giuliani (R): 528,360
3. Romney (R): 472,428
4. Obama (D): 419,284
5. Clinton (D): 397,785
6. McCain (R): 352,165
7. Edwards (D): 260,760
8. Biden (D): 44,650
9. Richardson (D): 35,450
10. Brownback (R): 5,880
11. Tabcredo (R): 2,400

Now, it makes sense that Dodd led all candidates, as he should. He doesn't get nearly the amount of support he should get from our state, but he gets a lot of money. What I find so interesting is that Connecticut is such a Democratic state, but some Republican candidates did very well compared to others. Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney led the pack after Dodd. For some reason Romney is able to raise much money, but not enough support, at least right now.

It does make sense that Giuliani leads the Republicans in Connecticut because he is the most moderate Republican candidate. I thought that Hillary didn't do that great, as Obama lead the Democrats, besides Dodd. McCain did just okay, as his amount matches his fund-raising total pretty well. However, Edwards didn't do that well considering he is a top tier candidate.

Well, we will have to wait and see where all the money goes. I will continue to analyze the presidential candidates, and I hope you comment to share your thoughts. Also, the first Democratic Debate is next Thursday, April 26th at 7 PM on MSNBC. The first Republican Debate is the following Thursday, May 3rd. This is sure getting fun!

God Bless Virginia Tech

I just wanted to take this time to remember the people who have been touched by the devastating shooting that took place yesterday at Virginia Tech. As Americans we will always remember this terrible day, and our hearts and prayers will always be with the families and friends that have been affected by this tragedy. Evil may have occurred, but our souls will never let evil prevail. May God Bless the students, staff, and the others that have been touched by this horrific day.

Danbury & John McCain

Senator John McCain was seen as the front runner to receive the Republican nomination about five months ago. However, his position on the Iraq War, and support of the Bush Administration's policy, has dropped him out of that position. He still is a top tier candidate, and it is still very possible for McCain to get the nomination. McCain has been Senator from Arizona since 1987, and was previously in the House for four years. He was also a Prisoner of War for about five and a half years during the Vietnam War. The following is a poll of where he stands in the crowded field of Republican candidates:

Rudy Giuliani -- 27%
John McCain -- 23%
Mitt Romney -- 12%
Newt Gingrich -- 10%
Fred Thompson -- 9%

Now, in 2000 Danbury Republicans chose McCain over Bush by only nine votes in the Connecticut Primary. They showed their moderate side by not voting for conservative Bush. This time around Rudy Giuliani is the most moderate candidate so it will be interesting to see if they again choose McCain, or if they go with a more moderate candidate. Giuliani does well in Connecticut Republican polls. McCain is currently in second. Here are the results from the latest Quinnipiac Poll:

Giuliani -- 43%
McCain -- 27%
Romney -- 4%
Gingrich -- 5%

In the general election, McCain does fairly well when polled up against the top three Democratic candidates. He is either ahead or at a reachable number. Here are the results from the latest Quinnipiac Poll from Fairfield County:

Clinton -- 50%
McCain -- 41%

McCain -- 44%
Obama -- 39%

McCain -- 48%
Edwards -- 36%

However, at this point I just don't see McCain winning Connecticut the way that Giuliani could. But anything could happen. What will make or break McCain is simply the War in Iraq. If the troop surge works, or the public begins to see improvement in Iraq, then he has a good shot. However, he may attract Republican voters which helps him getting the nomination, but winning the general election could prove to be very, very difficult. Arguably, McCain is said to be the one who deserves to become President, or at least get the nomination, because of his experience. As of right now when it comes to getting the nomination, he is stuck in second place. It will be interesting to see how McCain does especially after his low fund raising mark. One question we may ask is, if his "straight talk" message will get across to voters because so far it hasn't been that effective. We will wait and see.