Connecticut Local Politics

Political Wire anticipates the beginning of the end for Dodd:

Sen. Christopher Dodd, trailing badly in the polls for the Democratic presidential nomination, failed to file to appear on the ballot in New York. This seems an odd choice for the senator from neighboring Connecticut where his profile is undoubtedly higher than elsewhere in the nation.

The presidential race in Iowa and New Hampshire is down to Clinton and a resurgent Obama, with Edwards nipping at their heels. I think we can call right now what should be very clear in a month: there is no path to the nomination for Dodd. Obama is the anti-Hillary (and more), and he is picking up support. Edwards is the only one in position to pull off an upset right now. I don’t see Dodd having any sort of Huckabee-esque surge (as I said before), despite the fact that he’s going all over the country giving interesting speeches and doing the best he can to court the Dems’ left wing. Unlike the Republicans, Democrats aren’t really waiting for a winner or for someone who they think is authentic enough. Which, by the way, is silly–and it’s pulling the Republicans way too far to the right. This is the danger of primaries.

Not Dodd’s fault entirely–he got into a crowded field and never was able to raise money or compete with better-known faces like Obama, Clinton and Edwards. Now that Obama has started moving forward again, Dodd and all the other minor candidates are done.

In six weeks Dodd can come home.