Chris Dodd

Christopher Dodd
United States Senator from Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 1981– Serving with Joe Lieberman
Preceded by	Abraham A. Ribicoff
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Personal details
Nationality	american
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jackie Marie Clegg

Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944), is an American politician. Dodd, a Democrat, has been a U.S. Senator from Connecticut since 1981, and the state's senior Senator since 1989. Dodd is also a candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Early life, career, and family

Senator Christopher Dodd was born in Willimantic, Connecticut to Irish-American parents, Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd and Grace Murphy Dodd. Dodd attended Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit boys school in Bethesda, Maryland. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966, Dodd served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small rural town in the Dominican Republic until 1968. After leaving the Peace Corps, Dodd joined U.S. Army Reserve, where he would stay until 1975. In July 1970, he married Susan Mooney. They later divorced in October, 1982. In 1972, Dodd earned a J.D. at the University of Louisville, where he served as vice president of the law school's student body. The following year, he was admitted to Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London. Dodd married Jackie Marie Clegg in June 1999.

Senator Dodd is also the godfather of actress/singer Christy Carlson Romano, who once interned in his office. His brother, Thomas J. Dodd Jr., is an emeritus professor of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, and served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Costa Rica under president Bill Clinton.

U.S. House of Representatives

Christopher Dodd

In 1974, Dodd was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district. He was reelected twice, serving from January 4, 1975 to January 3, 1981. During his tenure in the U.S. House, he served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

U.S. Senator

Dodd was elected to the U.S. Senate in the 1980 election and was subsequently reelected in the 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 elections. From 1995 to 1997, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As General Chairman, Dodd was the DNC's spokesman. Donald Fowler served as National Chairman, running the party's day to day operations. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms.

Dodd lives in East Haddam when Congress is not in session, is fluent in Spanish, and is a Roman Catholic. His wife is Jackie Marie Clegg. She held high posts at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The couple has two daughters, Grace and Christina.

Dodd had been rumored to be strongly considering a run for Governor of Connecticut in 2006. He decided not to seek this post. Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign. He was also considered a possible candidate for replacing Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader in 109th Congress, but he declined, and that position was instead filled by Harry Reid. Dodd has been a long time supporter of tort reform measures.

Senator Dodd with Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont at the Department of Defense.

Senator Dodd is considered left of center with respect to Latin America. His record especially with regard to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the Farabundo Martí rebels in El Salvador has led to conflict with Republican Administrations. He is highly critical of the embargo and restrictions the U.S. has towards the country of Cuba. He favors more lenient immigration laws. In January 2005, he met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in an effort to mend the strained relations between the two countries. Dodd stressed the need for closer ties, both economically and in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. In that occasion, he said that that Chávez has “demonstrated he was Venezuela’s legitimate democratically elected president by winning a national referendum (on August 15th, 2004)…We know there have been problems between the two countries, but today is a new year and we are here to find out if we can begin a new relationship,” adding, “It is not worthwhile to continue speaking of what is in the past. I hope we can overcome this.”

On the issue of gun politics, Senator Dodd has been condemned by the NRA. He was one of 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment to prohibit federal funding of the confiscation of legally owned firearms during a disaster.

In 2006 Dodd faced some criticism from Democrats for initially supporting Joe Lieberman, but pledged to support whoever won the Democratic primary race between Lieberman and Ned Lamont. [1] Since Lamont acquired the Democratic nomination, Chris Dodd reportedly was central in attempting to convince Lieberman to drop out of the race. [2] However, Lieberman, despite blandishments from his colleagues, ran as an independent and defeated Lamont in the November elections. On January 11th, 2007, Dodd officially announced his intent on running for president on the Imus in the Morning radio program.

Senator Dodd has announced in a letter to the FEC that he is no longer a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010. [3]

2008 presidential campaign

In April 2006, Dodd told the Associated Press he's considering running for president in 2008, saying, "it's an itch. Could grow, could disappear." On May 22, 2006 he told the Hartford Courant he had met with key backers , including congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and was assembling a team to prepare for the 2008 presidential campaign. In June of 2006, he held his first major Presidential fundraiser, stunning many beltway commentators by raising over $1 million in one night. [4] Dodd also plans to attend a Florida state Democratic convention in July 2006, which the Hartford Courant newspaper terms a first step in garnering support. [5]

On December 22, 2006, Dodd hired former John Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan to help him decide whether or not he should seek the presidency in 2008. Even though Jordan was fired in November of 2003 following Kerry's lagging campaign, he is still a sought-after consultant to potential Democratic candidates in the 2008 presidential election. [6]

On Jan. 11, 2007, Dodd announced his Presidential candidacy on the "Don Imus in the Morning" radio show. The head of the New Hampshire Democratic party said Dodd told her that he wasn't "going to do the exploratory thing, I'm going to plunge right in."[7] Sen. Dodd has declared he will not run for a sixth Senate term in 2010 should he fail to win the presidency.

On Jan. 19, 2007, Dodd made a formal announcement with Connecticut supporters at the Old State House (Hartford) in Hartford.

External links

• Senate office website
• Official Presidential Campaign Website
• Peace Corps biography of Chris Dodd
• Congresspedia profile
• On the Issues statements
• Open Secrets campaign contributions
• Project Vote-Smart profile
  • Detailed voting record
  • Interest group ratings
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post

• Christopher Dodd at IMDb

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