CT Confidential blogger Rick Green is reporting that Senator Andrew Roraback may jump into the Republican race for the fifth district.

Roraback will make an announcement Thursday at 12:30 at Goshen Town Hall.

Read more here.

The 30th District Republicans will be holding a legislative forum Thursday, June 17th at 7:30 a.m. at the Fife n' Drum Restaurant on Route 7 in Kent. The cost of the breakfast is $25.00.

State Senator Andrew Roraback will be joined by State Representatives John Rigby, Mary Ann Carson, Clark Chapin, Craig Miner, David Scribner, Art O'Neill and John Piscopo to give a review of the 2010 legislative session and answer questions from those attending.

Proceeds from the breakfast will be used for the 2010 elections.

To reserve your place, please call John Morris at 860-693-0757 or Carol Perrone at 203-947-1561.

The CT Early Childhood Alliance will recognize state legislators for their engagement on issues related to early childhood in their communities.

The event takes place May 26, 2010 at the Capitol building at 10 a.m. in the Old Judiciary Room.

House Speaker Christopher Donovan (D-Meriden) has been chosen by the CT Early Childhood Alliance to receive its "Legislator of the Year" award for being a consistent champion for Connecticut's children this year, forming the Task Force for Children in the Recession and showing unwavering leadership in supporting children.

Fifty-two members of the House and Senate will be honored for their engagement on issues related to early childhood.

Some of the 2010 honorees include: Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington), Rep. Roberta Willis (D-Salisbury), Sen. Sam Caliguiri (R-16th District), Sen. Tom Gaffey (D-13th District), and Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-30th District).

Sam Caligiuri announces that he has earned the endorsement of the Litchfield Republican Town Committee.

"Sam has the ideal combination of integrity, experience, and conservative credentials. No other candidate matches his depth of knowledge on the issues that matter most to voters in the fifth district. For these reasons, the Litchfield Republican Town Committee firmly believes that Sam is the most electable candidate, and that he is best poised to take on this tough challenge," said Christopher Blake, Litchfield Republican Selectman.

Caligiuri is honorer to have earned the endorsement of the Litchfield Republican Town Committee and of Selectman Blake. He feels that the work the Litchfield Republicans do is critical to ensuring victory in November.

The Litchfield Republican Town Committee joins Senator Andrew Roraback, and Representative Craig Miner in endorsing Caligiuri's candidacy.

Sam Caligiuri was chosen by the House Conservatives Fund as one of only ten candidates to be endorsed nationally.

The hottest topic at last night's Litchfield County Board of Realtors and local Home Builders Association meeting with area legislators wasn't directly related to real estate or home building.

It came in a lengthy and sometimes-spirited question-and-answer period in which longtime master of ceremonies for the event, local Realtor TJ Zappulla, pointed out that funding for crucial programs such as a $220,000 tuberculosis screening program has been eliminated while Connecticut's new system of public financing for political campaigns will be giving up to $2.5 million to each candidate for governor this year who qualifies.

Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen) said he was kind of taken aback to receive a check for $85,000 to spend on his campaign. He ended up returning almost half of it to the taxpayers.

Rep. John Rigby (R-Colebrook) was most critical of public financing, saying that the $60 million used for the program should be returned to taxpayers, and that it was ridiculous to be spending taxpayer money on political campaigns when people are losing their homes.

Public financing was defended by the three Democrats in the room, Rep. Annie Hornish (D-Granby), Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington) and Rep. Roberta Willis (D-Salisbury).

Willis said that public financing was first introduced in response to the many political scandals that led to Connecticut becoming known as a corrupt state.

Hornish and Cook suggested that the system could be tweaked, i.e., establishing lower spending thresholds and encouraging more candidates such as Roraback to return money, rather than scrapped altogether.

Some eyebrows were raised yesterday when state Sen. Sam Caligiuri made the formal announcement that he was dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate and switching to the race for the 5th District House seat, and that popular Northwest Connecticut state Sen. Andrew Roraback was endorsing him.

Caligiuri is the standard-bearer of the Republican party's far right-wing in Connecticut, and the moderate Roraback is on the opposite end of that spectrum.

In an article in today's Register Citizen, Roraback acknowledges that point and says that Caligiuri has his support because he is a close friend who has shown integrity over their years together in the state Senate.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a bill last week that formalizes what was already decided by the Connecticut Supreme Court - that gays and lesbians have the right to marry in this state.

Over intense opposition from some religious groups, the bill passed the Senate 28-7 and passed the House 100-44.

A number of local lawmakers were among those casting a dissenting vote.

“No” votes were cast by Sen. Kevin Witkos (R-Canton), Rep. William Hamzy (R-Plymouth), Rep. Craig Miner (R-Litchfield), Rep. John Piscopo (R-Thomaston) and Rep. John Rigby (R-Colebrook).

Voting “yes” were Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen), Rep. Annie Hornish (D-Granby), Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington) and Rep. Roberta Willis (D-Salisbury).

By ALEX TAYLOR

WEST CORNWALL — U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd hasn’t visited West Cornwall since 2004, but he and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5, will be stopping by the picturesque village Saturday for a public meeting organized by the Democratic Coalition of Northwest Connecticut.

The meeting is scheduled at the West Cornwall Consolidated school, 5 Cream Hill Road, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to coalition chairman Harriette Dorsen.Murphy, who was traveling from Washington to Connecticut on Friday, said the economy would be the topic of discussion.

Murphy said that is all he is hearing from voters.“The economy. The economy. The economy,” Murphy said. “A lot of people out there have lost their job and are looking for help to find a new one. Others out there are anxious about how long they’re going to be employed.”

That, and populist anger at the TARP bank bailout.“People are furious that a lot of these banks have taken the money and handed it out as bonuses and salaries to their executives,” Murphy said of TARP, which he voted for.

“I’m just as angry as they are. People are rightly skeptical of the first round of money which hasn’t gone to business owners. I don’t know why Bush administration gave that money out with any conditions.”

In recent weeks, Murphy has touted several programs from the federal stimulus package, including a tax cut he said averaged to $800 per family as well as several transportation and energy projects.Murphy also touted an $8,000 refundable tax credit for first-time home buyers that was part of the stimulus package.

“Not enough people out there know about this,” he said. “I really believe that if you restart the first-time home buyer’s market, you will unlock what is a very-broken real estate market and get people buying homes and spending money again.”

The program ends Dec. 31.A spokesman for Dodd said the senator is looking forward to visiting West Cornwall. The five-term senator and Senate Banking Committee chairman has come under criticism for his closeness to the financial industry and questioned over his two mortgages with Countrywide Financial Corp.

Dorsen said she expects an exchange between the senator and voters.“I think this is going to be a good chance for the senator to talk to voters and address any questions or criticism,” she said.Murphy said it is too early to predict the 2010 election.

“I’m not a political analyst. I think it’s a little too early to be handicapping a race that won’t happen for a year and a half,” he said, citing Dodd’s accomplishments as an advocate for the state.

“He clearly has some work to do between now and then, but the more occasions he has to talk to people in informal settings like the one we have Saturday, the better off his political prospects will be,” Murphy said.

State Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-30, said that while the stimulus has helped Connecticut, he worries about future deficits.

“Certainly from the state’s perspective, the stimulus is helping us balance our budget,” he said. “We’re going to get $2 billion in the next two years, which is certainly welcome news and comes at a time when we need it the most.”
He added: “There has to be a limit to deficit spending. I don’t want the cure for today’s illness to burden our country’s future.”

Despite his wife just having a baby, state Sen. Andrew Roraback has never missed a vote.

The Hartford Courant once called him the “Lou Gehrig of the legislature,” owing to his 100 percent attendance record.

On the last Monday in March, at 7:46 p.m., Roraback’s wife gave birth to a son. Roraback got lucky, since there was no voting the following few days he needed to attend to. Of course, nothing is certain for the future, now that he’s a family man.

CLICK HERE for a story about the Republican Congressional Committee's apparent plans not to target 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy in 2010 as a race it will pour resources into and thinks it can win.

That's a big change in a formerly solid Republican district that has been a fierce battleground between the two national parties over the last three or four elections.

Was Murphy's re-election to a second term that strong over Republican Sen. David Cappiello?

And one wonders, due to the historic Republican strength in the 5th District, whether this strategy will change if an unusually strong 5th District challenger emerges.

(Such as, let's say, our own Sen. Andrew Roraback?)

State Senator Andrew Roraback (R-30) today returned $42,789.82 in unused campaign funds back to the Citizens’ Election Program. The total represents more than half of the $85,000 state grant he was awarded earlier this year. The money will help reduce the taxpayer obligation to fund future grants under the Citizens’ Election Program.
“While conventional wisdom dictates that the way to win political campaigns in the 21st Century is to outspend your opponent by as large a margin as possible, I was not comfortable in these difficult economic times being wasteful with taxpayer dollars. It has always been my philosophy to try to be as careful with public dollars as I am with my family’s personal finances,” said Senator Roraback. “I hope this contribution will enable the state to continue critical funding to our homeless shelters, food banks and other agencies which are facing such enormous challenges.”
The Citizens’ Election Program was established last year in an effort to level the financial playing field for candidates seeking state office. The program provides funding for such candidates once specific requirements are met. Candidates seeking the office of State Senator or State Representative in any election or special election in or after 2007 are eligible. The Program is funded by the sales of abandoned property in the state.
Major party candidates for State Senate in the general election are eligible for up to $85,000 in state funding only if they raise $15,000 in private donations. These donations must come from individual donors who live in their district. The donations may be as little as $5.00 but cannot exceed $100.00.
In addition, candidates must file an affidavit with the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) stating their status as a major, minor or petitioning candidate. In exchange for accepting this money, candidates agree to raise no additional money and use the funding only for campaign expenses. If a candidate does not use the entire grant, the money is to be returned to the fund and is used to finance future grants.
Senator Roraback was recently re-elected to his 4th term representing the 30th District communities of Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester.

State Senator Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen) has been appointed Ranking Member on the General Assembly’s Finance Committee for the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions. The appointment was announced Thursday by Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-Fairfield), who also assigned Roraback to serve as the ranking senator on the Regulations Review Committee and as a member of the Environment and Judiciary committees.

“I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility to serve as ranking senator on the Finance Committee and to take on additional responsibilities on other important committees,” said Senator Roraback. “The Finance committee will be ground zero for addressing the state’s growing budget deficit and our challenge is great. Never have the needs of the people of Connecticut been greater and never has state government’s ability to meet those needs been more diminished. Nevertheless, through shared sacrifice and responsible governing, we will emerge from this recession.”

“Appointing a new ranking member to the Finance Committee was one of the most important decisions I had to make with respect to committee assignments,” said Senator McKinney. “Andrew’s experience and even handed approach to dealing with difficult issues will be invaluable as we work to balance our budget deficits in the weeks and months ahead.”

In addition to his appointment to the Finance Committee, Senator Roraback, who has been repeatedly recognized for his leadership on environmental issues, has also been assigned to the Environment Committee. During his 14 years of legislative service, Roraback has consistently supported legislation focused on clean air and water, farmland and open space preservation, control of invasive plants, forestry management, funding for greenways and the protection of historic landscapes – issues he will continue to prioritize in his new position.

Senator Roraback will continue to serve on the Judiciary Committee and as a ranking member of the Regulations Review Committee.

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital President Daniel McIntyre, U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy, state Sen. Andrew Roraback and state Rep. Roberta Willis are all expected to participate in a forum on "The Future of Health Care" from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, 333 Kennedy Drive, Torrington.
They will participate in a panel that will also include Ann Bowen, president of the Bowen Agency in Winsted and chairman of the Chamber's Insurance Committee, and Juan A. Figueroa, president of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut.
The panel will be moderated by Marc Vallario, vice president of sales at United Healthcare, and hosts of the session are Michael and Theresa Carr, co-chairmen of the Chamber Health Council and owners of Inspired Touch LLC.
RSVP for the event at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org/event_register.asp.

Predictions of 90 percent voter turnout and an Obama landslide have local Republicans fearing that some good local legislators will be swept out of office by new Obama voters who are not as educated on local races and by default vote for the "Democratic" column down the line.
While no one believes that someone as strong and with such bipartisan support as District 30 Sen. Andrew Roraback could fall victim to such a trend, it could very well doom the candidacy of state Rep. Kevin Witkos, who faces a tough challenge from Democrat Art House for the 8th District Senate seat.
State Rep. Anne Ruwet, who won by 1 vote six years ago, less than 300 votes four years ago and less than 100 votes two years ago, could also be at risk. Both the state Democratic Party and the Working Families Party, as well as special interest groups on the left, have poured resources into the campaign of her opponent, Michelle Cook, and into attack mailings criticizing Ruwet's votes on a variety of issues.

The Litchfield County Times has endorsed Chris Murphy for U.S. Congress in the 5th District and Andrew Roraback for state Senate in the 30th District. Click headlines below for full articles.

Murphy for Congress, With Hesitations
U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Cheshire), the first-term incumbent who defeated veteran congresswoman Nancy L. Johnson in 2006, explains on his campaign Web site that restoring the public's trust in government was a principal reason he decided to run for Congress, and adds that it continues to be his "driving force."

Roraback Is Role Model
In a recent interview, conducted when the state budget deficit was projected at $300 million and rising for the current fiscal year, State Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen) said he would not increase taxes on "a beleaguered public." No need to read his lips; when Mr. Roraback makes a promise he never breaks it. He also never misses a vote, and despite being a loyal and valued member of the GOP, he has served his constituents in a way that has always been more independent than dogmatic.

From today's Register Citizen ...

ENDORSEMENT: Witkos for State Senate
The vacancy this year in state Senate District 8 provides an incredible opportunity for Torrington, because on so many important issues to the city over the past few years, its "other" state senator, Tom Herlihy, has been missing in action.

Click below to check out The Register Citizen's candidate endorsements so far this year:

Still to come, the District 65 House seat coming tomorrow (Sunday), and the District 8 state Senate seat, coming Tuesday.

EDITORIAL: Roraback for senate
By far the easiest choice for us to make in endorsing candidates this election season is in 30the District of the State Senate, where incumbent Sen. Andrew Roraback stands out as the rarest of politicians.

EDITORIAL: Murphy for Congress
Unseating long-serving and well-respected incumbent Nancy Johnson two years ago was no small task, and voters did not capriciously entrust the job to the then-young and earnest state senator from Southington, Chris Murphy.

EDITORIAL: McCain for president
Today we are endorsing Sen. John McCain for president, not because of the tremendous amount of experience and wisdom he brings to foreign policy and national security in this post-9/11 world of terroristic threats, but because of his approach to the economy and government's role in our everyday lives.