The congressional campaign of Connecticut House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan was hit Friday with a new attack ad and more bad news following the indictment of his former campaign manager. A prominent national political handicapper has reassessed the district race as more competitive for Republicans. The Rothenberg Political Report dropped its rating for the 5th […]
Ana Radelat
Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.
Posted inHealth
Connecticut’s health exchange board determines basic coverage
Washington — Connecticut’s health insurance exchange board has selected a mandatory benefit plan that many state residents will chose for coverage that is more generous than the federal Affordable Care Act requires.
Posted inPolitics
Shays finally takes to the airwaves
The campaign of former Republican Rep. Chris Shays ran its first television ad Thursday, touting the Senate candidate’s experience. “He’s smart, he knows what he’s doing and he’s done it before,” Shays’ wife Betsi says in the 30-second spot. The ad will run until the primary election on Aug. 14, which will pit Shays against […]
Posted inNews
Threat of defense industry cuts already resulting in layoffs
Washington — Economists warn it will push the nation over a fiscal cliff, and Connecticut’s defense industry says it will bleed jobs. But Congress has not been able to come up with a way to avoid “sequestration,” or massive, automatic budget cuts scheduled to go into effect Jan. 2. Those cuts would have a disproportionate […]
Posted inNews
National Democrats unhappy but publicly mum about campaign turmoil
Washington — National Democrats were already nervous about the congressional candidacy of Connecticut House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, and today’s events can only increase their collective blood pressure. Joshua Nassi, the former manager of congressional campaign is among seven people charged in a federal indictment unsealed today in connection with the continuing investigation of Donovan’s […]
Posted inNews
Lieberman votes reject both Democratic and GOP tax plans
Sen. Joe Lieberman Wednesday rejected both Republican and Democratic tax plans, saying neither one would help balance the budget. The Republican plan failed. But with the support of Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and 50 other Democrats, the Democratic plan squeaked by on a 51-48 vote. Vice President Joe Biden presided over the Senate, ready to […]
Posted inNews
Cuban dissident had special friend in Connecticut
Washington — Leading Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, who died in a car crash Sunday, had a very special — if somewhat clandestine — friend in Connecticut in former Rep. Sam Gejdenson. “Payá’s efforts in Cuba were the most remarkable since (Fidel) Castro took over,” said Gejdenson, who was deeply involved in foreign affairs in Congress. […]
Posted inPolitics
Analyst: Shays hurt by lack of television ads
Former Rep. Chris Shays is the only Senate candidate who has not run television commercials, and that’s likely to hurt him, an analyst said. Shays, a Republican, faces Linda McMahon in the Aug. 14 primary. But he had only about $326,000 in his campaign fund on June 30, the end of the last federal reporting […]
Posted inNews
Environmental report touches off new Plum Island controversy
Washington — Connecticut’s environmental community is dismayed at a study released Friday on the sale of Plum Island because they believe its recommendations do not adequately protect the island’s unique ecology and wildlife. Curt Johnson, an attorney for Save the Sound, said his group will push back against the study’s conclusions. “It just really is […]
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal part of new group to boost fuel cells
Lawmakers love to establish caucuses with colleagues who share their passions and there are dozens of caucuses in Congress. They promote everything from bicycles to minor league baseball. The newest caucus is the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Caucus, formed this week by strange bedfellows — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Lindsay Graham of South […]
Posted inNews
By giving to other Democrats, Larson helps his party and his prospects
Washington –U.S. Rep. John Larson has raised $1.5 million for his reelection, but he’s given much of that money to the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates. According to his filings with the Federal Elections Commission, Larson has donated $430,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, whose task is to get Democrats elected to the House, […]
Posted inNews
DCF efforts to combat child trafficking hailed on Capitol Hill
Washington – Connecticut’s efforts to combat child sex trafficking were hailed Wednesday as a national model for the nation at a congressional hearing promoting a bill that would require states to do more to combat exploitation. Child sex trafficking is a growing national problem, but states vary on how effectively they identify and protect young […]
Posted inPolitics
McMahon loans her campaign another $6 million
Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon has loaned her campaign nearly $6 million in the last few months, according to the latest report her campaign filed with the Federal Elections Commission. That means McMahon, the co-founder and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, has loaned her campaign more than $8 million, widening the financial gulf […]
Posted inNews
Vote to kill filibuster on campaign finance bill fails, despite Connecticut senators’ support
Washington — An attempt failed Monday to move forward on a bill that would require the disclosure of large political donations by unions and corporations. Sixty votes were needed to end a filibuster on the DISCLOSE Act (Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections). But only 51 senators, including Sens. Joe Lieberman, […]
Posted inNews
Lobbyists form SuperPAC to help Murphy in Senate race
Washington — Saying Rep. Chris Murphy can’t raise enough money to defeat multimillionaire Republican Linda McMahon in Connecticut’s Senate race, two Hartford-based lobbyists with Democratic ties have formed a SuperPAC to bolster Murphy’s campaign. The founders of the new committee include Chris VanDeHoef, a lobbyist who is executive director of a media trade group, the […]