The Republican field is filling up in Connecticut’s 4th District. State Sen. Dan Debicella, one of the GOP favorites now that state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney is out, confirmed Tuesday that he will run.
“We need Washington to start creating practical solutions to improve the quality of life for Fairfield County families,” Debicella said in a statement. He indicated he would be “a moderate voice,” and “an independent-minded congressman in the mold of Chris Shays,” the former Republican congressman who was upset in 2008 by Democrat Jim Himes.
Debicella described himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, supporting abortion rights and state funding for stem cell research.
Debicella is in his second term in the state Senate, and also works at the insurance company The Hartford Financial Services as assistant vice president of m
Marketing. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and previously worked in management consulting at McKinsey and as Director of Strategy at PepsiCo.
Debicella told CQ Politics last week that running for Congress was something he “had not been thinking about even a week ago” because he had been supporting McKinney’s prospective run. McKinney’s decision to stay put — he said his decision was based on his desire not to disrupt his family — has opened up the GOP field and could lead to a competitive primary.
Businessman Rob Merkle and nonprofit executive Will Gregory have already announced they are running, and attorney and former state Sen. Rob Russo is also likely to get in the race.
However, Connecticut GOP chairman Chris Healy told CQ last week he was optimistic the party could avoid a divisive contest. “I think [the candidates] understand whoever starts to emerge as the strongest candidate as we start to go into next year will need every ounce of their resources to use against Jim Himes,” he said.
Himes will not be easy to unseat. The freshman congressman and former investment banker has built up a solid campaign war chest for 2010 — $760,000 at the end of June and has personal wealth he can tap into as well. And Democrats have the edge in the district, where President Obama defeated John McCain by 20 percentage points in the 2008 presidential race.
CQ Politics rates the general election contest Leans Democratic.
To see how all the 2010 House races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics election map.
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