Dodd, Lamont Lead CT Connections to President-Elect

As the transition to a Biden-Harris administration begins in earnest, Connecticut may be well-positioned to benefit from the new leadership in Washington after January 20, 2021, largely due to two existing political relationships – one long-term and one more recent. 

It was January 3, 2008 when two veterans of the United States Senate, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Joe Biden of Delaware, both seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, withdrew from the race just as it was beginning, both on the same day.

Dodd had finished sixth and Biden fifth in the first-in-the-nation Iowa primary, won by Senate Colleague Barack Obama of Illinois.  It was “a parallel setback that friends say drew them closer,” The New York Times has reported.

That summer, Biden was selected by Obama as his running mate, and they were elected in November in an historic election.  Within two years, Dodd retired from the Senate after three decades, much of it side-by-side with Biden on the Democratic side of the Senate aisle.

Dodd went on to lead the Motion Picture Association of America, maintaining a profile in Washington, and on occasion, in Connecticut as well.  Biden served for eight years as vice president. 

This summer, soon after earning the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden turned to Dodd to be one of four co-chairs of a committee tasked with vetting and recommending his vice presidential running mate.  The ultimate selection of California Senator Kamala Harris is now credited as having been a key asset this fall – in campaigning, fundraising, and vote-getting.

Whether Dodd will have a role in the new administration – formally or informally – is unclear, but not unlikely.

Another key connection for Connecticut was highlighted in the waning days for the 2018 gubernatorial campaign.  Democratic candidate Ned Lamont was in a tight race, and looking for firepower to energize supporters.  A Connecticut appearance with Lamont by former Vice President Joe Biden in late October did just that.  

In an appearance in Hartford, Biden described Lamont as “a person of character and integrity, who is in the public arena to make a positive difference.” Lamont went on to be elected Governor, and did not forget.

By July 2019, just as the Democratic debates were getting underway, Lamont endorsed Biden’s presidential run. He said of Biden, “Joe has spent his entire life fighting for hard working American families. That’s the kind of President we need now more than ever.”

A few months later, in October, after personally contributing to the campaign, he held a fundraiser for Biden at his Greenwich home.  Among the featured guests, along with Biden, was Chris Dodd.

Lamont also did some New Hampshire campaigning for Biden during the primary season, and this past August was among the hosts of a virtual fundraising effort.

Others with Connecticut connections have been involved with the Biden campaign along the way, and additional Connecticut names may soon gain notice.  But the decades-long friendship with former Senator Dodd and the more recent exchange of endorsements with Gov. Lamont, could position Connecticut well as decisions are made by the next occupant of the White House.

This weekend, reacting to Biden’s election as the nation’s next President, Lamont said “we are very much looking forward to working with President elect Joe Biden. He will be a great partner for our state and a great leader for our country.”