Caligiuri for U.S. Senate?

I know the story about Sam Caligiuri's possible bid for the U.S. Senate ran earlier this week, but I never got the opportunity to blog about it.

So, I'm blogging now.

Sam is a pretty new state lawmaker. He's in the first year of his second term. He, however, has a lot of political experience. He is a former Waterbury alderman and acting mayor, and he was an aide to former Gov. John Rowland when Rowland was a U.S. congressman. Afterward, he was a deputy legal counsel to the governor from 1995-1997.

Sam won the state Senate seat vacated by now U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy in November 2006.

Could it be that the 16th District Senate seat is a lucky seat? Do you think Sam will follow in Chris' footsteps?

Sam is pondering whether he will try for the Republican nomination, but he said it is likely that he will. If he wins the nomination, he'll face long-time incumbent U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd. Dodd not only has experience on his side, but he has his name. I almost equate the Dodd name to the Kennedy name.

Dodd also has Democrats on his side. In a state that tends to vote Democrat, that means something.

A recent Quinnipiac poll says that Sam is largely unknown, and it says voters favor Dodd in a Caligiuri-Dodd match up. Sam would be the underdog, but underdogs have won seemingly impossible matches before.

Chris Murphy is an example. He beat long-time incumbent Nancy Johnson in the 2006 U.S. House race.

Like I said, maybe there is something in the 16th state Senate District that allows energized politicans to beat the odds.