Former Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), who was defeated for re-election in the 2008 Democratic wave after 21 years in office, has announced that he will run for Senate in 2012, to succeed retiring Democratic-aligned independent Sen. Joe Lieberman.
As the Greenwich Times reports, Shays moved to Maryland soon after his 2008 defeat. A check of the voter rolls show that he was re-registered as a Connecticut voter just this past Friday in Bridgeport, where he and wife bought a condominium last year when he was considering a run for governor.
“Betsi and I excited to be back in Connecticut,” Shays, told the paper. “These are all the steps that I am taking so that I can have the opportunity to run for Senate. I hope to be on the ballot next November.”
A moderate Republican, Shays was a main sponsor of campaign finance reform legislation in the early 2000s. He only narrowly won re-election in the Democratic wave of 2006, with the debate centering around his strong support for the Iraq War, and then was narrowly defeated in the second Democratic wave of 2008.
Shays will likely face a primary against former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, who was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in the 2010 Senate race, and has been eyeing the 2012 contest. On the other side, the Democratic primary is currently between former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, Rep. Chris Murphy, and state Rep. William Tong.
