CT-02 House Election: Defense and Change
Connecticut 2: eastern half of state: Storrs, Norwich, New London (map)
Democrat: Joe Courtney, attorney, ex–state assemblymember
Republican: Rob Simmons, incumbent since 2001 (2004: won 54%-46%)
Poll D +6: Courtney 51%, Simmons 45% (10/26)
Outlook: tossup
Post updated: October 31
Final result (11/15): Democrat 50.03%, Republican 49.97% (details here)
District 2 is "the most Democratic-leaning district in the country still held by a Republican," according to the Washington Post's Jim VandeHei. But Rob Simmons has held onto the seat for six years by voting a relatively moderate line (though he joins the true-believing Bushites on tax cuts and Iraq) and by keeping Pentagon business in the district. The New London submarine base—next door to Groton's Electric Boat shipyard—was scheduled to close last year, but Simmons joined other Connecticut politicians to reverse the decision, saving thousands of jobs.
He is one of the last of a dying breed, a moderate Northeastern Republican—what used to be called a Rockefeller Republican—and he usually votes for reproductive rights, stem-cell research, and the environment. But he also often supports the GOP reactionaries, bending to party discipline when required, especially on fiscal issues; so when environmental solutions require funding, for example, he can be stingy. As for Iraq, on his website he admits there were "disappointments and shortcomings in parts of the Iraqi operation," but he continues to buy Bush's line that American soldiers will come home soon, just as soon as "primary responsibility for Iraqi security becomes an Iraqi responsibility." He also voted to set the Patriot Act and the Bush tax cuts in stone forever; and he supported the Bush energy bill, repeal of the estate tax, and the flag desecration amendment.
Joe Courtney(photo), on the other hand, is a Democrat, a real Democrat. He has been critical of the Bush administration for its flawed strategy in Iraq as well as its incompetence, blaming the "shameful, craven support this Congress and Rob Simmons have given to Bush's war in Iraq." He has long called for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, and on his website he says that the lessons of Bosnia and Kosovo should be applied to "change course" in Iraq. Courtney supports universal healthcare, increased funding for education and the environment, and nonprivatized Social Security. His pro-worker record in the state legislature has the AFL-CIO behind him: he supported the state family and medical-leave law, an increase in the minimum wage, and an increase in workers' compensation benefits.
In their debate on September 18, as Greg Giroux reports for CQ Politics, Courtney criticized Simmons for his fealty to Bush, saying he
really disappointed a lot of us who thought maybe for once we would see a little bit of independence down there in terms of standing up to this administration and its policies.
And that’s frankly what we need in this district, is to have someone who is going to go down there to be an independent voice and force this administration to talk about change.
As election day approaches, the air wars are heating up. Here's a particularly good TV ad from Courtney on Simmons's stay-the-course Iraq policy:
The endorsement wars are heating up too, and Courtney is way ahead on that battleground. In recent days, the Hartford Courant, the New York Times, and the Providence Journal all came out for the Democrat. The Courant wrote:
During four terms in the state's General Assembly, Democrat Joe Courtney , 53, a lawyer from Vernon , distinguished himself as a hard-working, effective and respected lawmaker and leader on health care reforms. That ethic, combined with Mr. Courtney's compassion and integrity, makes him a better candidate than the three-term incumbent, Republican Rob Simmons, in a district that covers half the state.
Nevertheless, Simmons has the advantage of incumbency, slim though that advantage is in this Year of the Democrat. To save his skin, Simmons is trying to appear more liberal than he is, and he's running away from Bush as fast as he can. Courtney, whose motto is "Change your country, right here at home," has a strong campaign, but he may not have enough money to compete.
If Simmons and a few other moderates are defeated, Bush's radical Republicans will have completed their three-decade purge of the party, while losing control of the House. A wonderful irony, if the right wing of the GOP finally wins its internal battle only to lose the external war.
If you'd like to help Courtney with a small contribution—or a large contribution!—click here.
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