News Times Reports: Looking to rekindle the political fire that earned him favor among Rockefeller Republicans, Reagan Democrats and independents in a swing district that went to Barack Obama in the last presidential election when he was swept out of office, Republican former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays formally embarked Wednesday on his U.S. Senate run.
Shays, 66, chose the Old State House in Hartford, an 18th-century landmark just a few blocks from where he served in the General Assembly, for a belated campaign kickoff event that drew a mix of Republican leaders and former aides.
A casualty of the 2008 election who represented the 4th Congressional District for 21 years before losing his home city of Bridgeport, Shays touted himself as an independent-minded public servant who is willing to put his principles ahead of his party to balance the federal budget, create a national energy policy and build consensus in a town known for partisan gridlock.
“The madness in Washington cannot continue,” Shays said. “Washington is broken, the Senate isn’t working. Nothing is getting done.”
