Courant staff writer Monica Polanco is with former Congressman and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Simmons and she filed this report from the field.
Rob Simmons held court at his home in North Stonington while awaiting the primary results.
A smattering of friends and relatives dined on gouda, strawberries and other light snacks while Simmons addressed a crowd of reporters in his living room for 45 minutes.
Simmons, a former CIA agent and congressman, seemed relaxed as he gave an overview of the events leading up to the primary.
It was two years ago, Simmons said, that he and his family gathered on their living room couch to discuss his bid to succeed then Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd, a political titan.
At the time, Simmons was wrapping up his duties as business advocate, then-Senator Barack Obama had been elected president and Democrats had won seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Political observers, Simmons said, were "aghast" that he would challenge Dodd, who ultimately abandoned his bid for reelection.
But Simmons said that in April 2009, a Quinnipiac University poll showed he had a competitive edge over Dodd, sparking a "wave of interest across the country."
Simmons said interest in the race diminished after Dodd dropped out and that he "narrowly" lost his party's support during the Republican convention this spring.
Simmons, who was criticized for curtailing his campaign after the convention, likened the decision to a military maneuver that he said allowed him to avoid an "expensive and divisive" primary while his wealthy competitor, Linda McMahon, spent millions of her own money on the campaign.
Simmons said a poll showed that his numbers actually rose after his decision, and that a wide spectrum of people, including Ann Coulter and Lowell Weicker, lined up behind him.
Simmons said August primaries should be eliminated because they occur when many voters are on vacation.
"The system is not structure properly," he said.
He also said he disagreed with the law that allows state level political candidates to receive state funding while federal level candidates must raise their own money.
"It's a very difficult circumstance when the most I can get is $7,200," he said, versus McMahon's multi-mllion dollar war chest.