Former Republican Congressman Chris Shays said Monday he will officially declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate on Oct. 3, after his work with a government commission examining wartime contracts is complete.
Shays, a Republican who represented the Fairfield County-focused 4th District in the U.S. House for more than two decades before losing to Jim Himes in 2008, says he's running because he believes the nation is headed in the wrong direction.
"We need a major change in direction and that's going to take leadership on the part of elected officials,'' he said during a brief phone interview Monday.
Only one other Republican -- Hartford attorney Brian K. Hill -- has formally entered the U.S. Senate race so far. However the party's 2010 nominee, multimillionaire former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, is widely expected to declare her candidacy in coming weeks.
The man who currently holds the seat, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, is not seeking reelection and another prominent Republican, former Congressman Rob Simmons, is also unlikely to run.
Shays said he considers both men friends and would not be running if either of them were. He called Simmons "a war hero and a real patriot" and said he was stunned delegates to the convention in 2010 gave their endorsement to McMahon over him.
"I hope to win the convention next year,'' Shays said. "I think it's fair to say I'll be the underdog...The real contest will be the primary next August."
Shays, who earned a reputation as a centrist during his time in Congress, has already weathered an onslaught of attacks from Democrats. They cite his move to Maryland following his loss to Himes and say it's evidence that he's a political carpetbagger.
"After voters in Connecticut rejected Chris Shays, Chris Shays rejected the voters of Connecticut, deciding to make his home in Maryland, where he could easily cash in on his time in Congress,'' the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in an email. "It's doubtful that Chris Shays has learned much, if anything, about Connecticut's best interests after living in Maryland for the past few years. He's still a rubber stamp for Republican policies that would hurt our economy and squeeze middle class families."
Shays says the attacks show Democrats are looking to limit participation in the political process. He says he moved to Maryland to be in closer proximity to Washington so he could find a job without having to commute from Connecticut. "I'm not independently wealthy,'' he said.
Shays said he thought about moving home last year to run for governor, but was committed to finishing up his work as co-chairman of the Commission on Wartime Contracting, a bipartisan panel charged with studying military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The commission is slated to wrap up its work by Fri., Sept. 30, which is why Shays is announcing on Mon., Oct. 3. "I don't think it's really appropriate for me to declare my candidacy while I am co-chairing the commission," he said.
