You think there’s gridlock in the U.S. Senate now? Just wait until January, when the chamber is even more sharply divided (53 Democrats, 47 Republicans) and both camps are well short of the magic 60-votes needed to break a filibuster. Sen. Joseph Lieberman says this could be a political mess-or a great opening. Connecticut’s soon-to-be […]

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent who caucus with the Democrats, isn’t ready to talk about the choice he faces in 2012, when he will be up for re-election. But Roll Call this morning said the Connecticut Senate contest promises to be “among the more entertaining this cycle” and has already tagged it as a top toss-up […]

WASHINGTON-One of the most politically potent issues for Republicans in the just-finished campaign season was the charge that health reform would slash $500 billion from Medicare–a claim Democrats sharply disputed. Although the airwaves have gone quiet on this issue, it’s not about to fade away. As Medicare opens its rolls this week for new beneficiaries […]

WASHINGTON–He doesn’t have any staff yet, let alone committee assignments.  And his office is as small, as spare, and as drab as they come. But this week Richard Blumenthal began to make the transition from a 20-year stint as Connecticut’s attorney general to the state’s junior U.S. Senator. Blumenthal spent two days finding (and losing) […]

WASHINGTON–Rep. John Larson won re-election as the head of the House Democratic caucus Wednesday, but the question of whether Rep. Rosa DeLauro would be able to keep her influential position remained unresolved. Reps. John Larson and Nancy Pelosi after leadership elections Wednesday (Deirdre Shesgreen) All four top Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, retained leadership roles despite […]

Gov.-elect Dan Malloy was the marquee speaker at a forum today in Washington on divided government, sponsored by Politico and the Democratic Leadership Council. The event was a little odd. For one thing, there were no Republicans, just Malloy and ex-Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, talking about the way forward after the GOP’s sweeping election gains […]

WASHINGTON–Gov.-elect Dan Malloy read through the official transition budget, with its $3.4 billion lines in red ink, on an airplane flight to Washington Tuesday morning. And when he stepped off the jet, Malloy kicked off a lobbying effort in D.C. that he says could be a big part of the solution to the financial crisis […]

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent, will have to navigate a difficult path if he decides to run for re-election in 2012. Roll Call details a series of tough options facing Lieberman and names some of his possible opponents, including failed 2010 GOP Senate candidates Linda McMahon and ex-Rep. Rob Simmons.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, has been at the forefront of the effort to keep Nancy Pelosi on as the House Democrat’s top leader in the next Congress, where the party will be relegated to minority status. That effort seems to be on track, with Pelosi and her allies tamping down discontent among the rank-and-file […]

WASHINGTON–Congress will return to Washington this week with post-election tensions still running high and a plate full of unappetizing legislative leftovers. Like any holiday get-together, there will papered-over internal feuds, most notably leadership elections to approve a just-brokered deal allowing all the top House Democrats, including Rep. John Larson, to keep their coveted posts. And […]

A lame-duck session of Congress doesn’t usually inspire a lot of excitement, even among political junkies. But Sen. Chris Dodd says he’s heading into the next few weeks of intense political wrangling in Washington “with a sense anticipation.” That’s, of course, because these will be Dodd’s final days in the Senate. He’s already thinking about […]

A lame-duck session of Congress doesn’t usually inspire a lot of excitement, even among political junkies. But Sen. Chris Dodd says he’s heading into the next few weeks of intense political wrangling in Washington “with a sense anticipation.” That’s, of course, because these will be Dodd’s final days in the Senate. He’s already thinking about […]

Top House Democrats reached a deal late Friday night to keep their entire current leadership team in place, avoiding a divisive internal fight as they seek to recover from sweeping election losses. The agreement means that Rep. John Larson, who represents Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District, is all but certain to keep his spot as caucus […]

WASHINGTON–Dave Manke, a top lobbyist for United Technology Corp., isn’t looking forward to watching Nancy Pelosi hand the House Speaker’s gavel over to the GOP. It has nothing to do with Manke’s political leanings, and everything to do with the pitched battle UTC and its subsidiary, Pratt & Whitney, have waged to nix funding for […]

The line-up for next week’s Democratic leadership elections appears to give a fresh boost to Rep. John Larson, who is vying to hold on to his post as chairman of the Democratic Caucus. The balloting will start with Larson’s post—and so far, he has no challengers. The vote on minority whip—the only contested election so […]