That’s not what Planned Parenthood thinks. It jumped into the 2010 Connecticut U.S. Senate campaign against pro-choice Republican Linda McMahon. Democratic candidate Richard Blumenthal’s press staff member Marcy Stech sent an October 22, 2010 email to seven others seeking “mysoginistic photos of women and WWE. Planned Parenthood wants to hit LM hard on it. What do we got?” Stech was doing the bidding of Democratic consultant Andrew Grossman, who appears to have had information from inside non-profit Planned Parenthood.

The 2010 Senate nominee proposes two post-convention, pre-primary debates. The first in June would be sponsored by the Hartford Courant and Fox 61. The Greenwich Time and News 12 would host a July face-off in Stamford.

McMahon’s shrewd opening bid will be difficult for Shays to accept.  His calamitous first fundraising report fell far short of his $1 million goal, so Parson Shays needs to find free ways to garner attention against McMahon, who’s been working the party faithful for more than two years. Shays recently returned to Connecticut from his home in Maryland to seek the Senate nomination.

Tong’s burn rate means he could be out of money before the spring state party nominating contest. The candidate who claims to have “a better story” and spent his life knocking down barriers needs a breakthrough. He’s not likely to find one in his “Reclaim the Dream Tour” this week when it takes him to Killingly, Easton, Bethany, and Burlington.  Not many delegates to harvest in those sleepy burgs.

The privileged Renbrook School alum will have to summon the crisis management skills he ballyhoos on his corporate law firm website to revive his fading bid.

Contributors and others will gather at the office of political operator and former state Representative Vincent Roberti to pay tribute to Malloy. Roberti’s son, Dan Roberti, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 5th Congressional District. Roberti pere, according to one online biography, “divides his time among his residences in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Paris, France; and Litchfield County, CT, where he has a farm.”

Event is receiving an assist from members of the state’s congressional delegation, especially U.S. Representative John Larson.

Venue for the conclave will raise alarm in Dan Roberti rival Speaker of the House Christopher Donovan’s suite as the legislature prepares to begin its short session on February 8th.

Bernier points to this winter’s raucous Republican presidential primary campaign as a reason to limit the competition of ideas among candidates and party members, calling it a “bloodbath.” The Plainville Republican, whose campaign highlights his experience in the military, sounded many timid notes in his proposal.  He complains of the consequences of negative primary ads in a general election campaign.  Bernier was employed on Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon’s 2010 campaign after he lost his 2010 primary race in the 5th

Many candidates, however, benefit from the crucible of competition that unnerves Bernier. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, for example, has become a more resourceful, limber candidate as he dispatches with his Republican competitors before facing the challenge of the fall campaign against an opponent who employs the Chicago way of politics.

Farmington Republican Mike Clark, one of the five candidates for the nomination, dismissed Bernier’s proposal. ”I have no interest in signing a pledge that takes away the right of the voters to vote for their candidate of choice.  The Republican candidates can ill afford to play games like this with one another when the significant issues of economic stability and job creation require utmost attention and real-world solutions,” Clark said.

Mark Greenberg campaign spokesman Chris Cooper also rejected the Bernier gambit. ”Mark will not sign that pledge because he believes in the electoral process we have in place. It is part of our democratic process and Mark has been very consistent in his belief in that process.”

Greenberg, who also faced Bernier in the 2010 nomination contest, and Clark pointed out that Bernier made campaign promises regarding advancing to a primary in 2010 that he later abandoned when he failed to prevail at the nominating convention.

Clark added that Bernier’s ”pledge suggestion is particularly offensive coming from the candidate who made pre-convention promises in 2010 that were not kept.”  Cooper, speaking for Greenberg, said, “Justin made a similar pledge in 2010 and promptly reneged on it after losing at the convention, so he has a credibility problem with his own pledge.”

Roraback became the fifth Republican to enter the race when he began his campaign in October. He faces Justin Bernier, Mike Clark, Mark Greenberg and Lisa Wilson-Foley in the Republican competition for the seat being vacated by incumbent Democrat Christopher Murphy, who is running for the United States Senate. The Goshen Republican represents the 30th District, which includes 15 towns in the sprawling congressional district.

Gaming issues will garner considerable attention in the legislative session that begins on February 8th as states ponder expanding adding online betting to their gaming portfolios. Under Connecticut’s compact with the state’s two casino-owning tribes, the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots enjoy the exclusive right to operate casino games in the state. Reaching an agreement with the tribes is seen as a prerequisite to opening the spigot of Internet gambling. Negotiations can be more congenial when accompanied by a fundraising event held by one side for the benefit of the other.

The contest was sponsored the Republican Party of Connecticut. Voting began online on January 5th and concluded Friday night. It included polling places in Norwich and Bristol that were coordinated with other party party events.