U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy and his Republican challenger, Sam Caligiuri, will both appear at the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club meeting tomorrow, and CT-N will be there to tape it.

Register Citizen Managing Editor Emily M. Olson will be introducing the candidates.

The meeting will start at noon at La Cupola, 637 Bantam Road, Litchfield. Tickets are $20, which includes lunch. Rotarians and the general public are welcome.

A press release from the Sam Caligiuri campaign:

The Hartford Courant reports today that Democratic incumbent in the Fifth Congressional District race, Chris Murphy, has pulled his disgraceful ad tying Sam Caligiuri to former Waterbury Mayor Phil Giordano off the air.

“Pulling the Giordano ad off the air is proof that it has backfired on Murphy because it is deceitful. As reported at the time, Sam was an opponent of Giordano and not his “number two.” Furthermore, the agreement approved by the Board of Aldermen stripped Giordano of his power and was the only way the city could ensure that Giordano could never come back to office, which the City Charter at the time would have allowed had Giordano been released from prison. That’s why the agreement was hailed as a success by the residents at the time,” said Tiffany Romero Grossman, spokesman for the Caligiuri Campaign.

“The Democrats attacked Sam the same way in 2006 during his first run for the State Senate. That attack was rejected then and it is being rejected now because it distorts what really happened. The real story here is that Murphy crossed the line and attacked Sam personally because he is desperate to avoid talking about his record of voting with Nancy Pelosi 98% of the time, including on spending trillions of dollars for disastrous legislation such as Cap and Trade, public option health care, and the failed stimulus package,” said Grossman.

Congressman Chris Murphy will debate his opponent Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury on Thursday, October 14th, from 7-8 p.m. at Wamogo High School, Litchfield. Thereafter, State Representative Craig Miner-66th District will debate his opponent Bill Zappone of Litchfield from 8:15-9:15 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.

Just released poll numbers show that Sam Caligiuri is well positioned to win in November's election.

Tuesday the Caligiuri Campaign released poll results showing that Republican Sam Caligiuri is a single point behind Chris Murphy. This amounts to a statistical tie. In a head-to-head match-up, 39% of respondents favored Caligiuri while 40% favored Murphy. This represents a huge gain for Caligiuri and a big loss for Murphy, as Murphy was leading 49% to 28% in an October 2009 poll by the same firm.

According to Adam Geller, whose company conducted the poll, when a candidate polls under 50% that "bodes poorly" for the incumbent. Geller said that this change in poll results shows that one incumbent is losing steam while the other is closing the gap.

"This is proof that Chris Murphy's support for Nancy Pelosi's far-left policies is catching up with him, and that my message and record of fiscal conservatisim is resonating. Voters in our District did not want Obamacare, but Chris Murphy wants to take that legislation even further and create a public option. Voters did not want the wall Street bailouts or the so-called stimulus package Murphy voted for, and they do not want the Cap and Trade bill he co-sponsered," said Caligiuri. "I am thrilled that the fiscally responsible policies I am promoting are giving them hope that we can reverse this course and get our economy growing again."

Other key date points from the poll show that:

• In the hard re-elect question, only 36% believe Chris Murphy has performed his job in Congress well enough to deserve re-election, while 45% think it's time for a new person.
• In an ominous sign for the party in power, only 29% of voters believe the country is heading in the right direction, while 63% believe things are off on the wrong track.
  
• The generic ballot favors Republicans, 41% - 38%. Among unaffiliated voters, the generic Republican leads 38% - 32%.
  
• In the "gas pedal/brake pedal" question, 54% prefer a Republican who will oppose Obama and Pelosi, and 36% prefer a Democrat who will support Obama and Pelosi.
  

Waterbury state Sen. Sam Caligiuri won the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District last night by a pretty comfortable margin - 40 percent to Justin Bernier's 31 percent and Mark Greenberg's 29 percent.

But in keeping with the geographic dynamics of the district over the past decade, that margin was by no means a consistent trend across the map.

In fact, Caligiuri placed first in 19 towns in the 5th District, while Bernier won 18 towns, and Greenberg won three (Danbury, Warren and Woodbury).

Bernier won Torrington and smaller towns throughout the Northwest Corner and down into New Milford, but the combined margin of victory in 11 of those towns, because population and Republican primary votes are relatively low, was 590.

He also beat Caligiuri by a combined margin of 978 votes in the Farmington Valley towns of Avon, Canton, Simsbury and Farmington and his hometown of Plainville.

But that was not enough to overcome Caligiuri's dominance in his home base of Waterbury.

He beat Bernier by a combined margin of 2,965 votes in Waterbury and the surrounding towns of Watertown, Wolcott, Southbury, Middlebury and Cheshire.

The two other major communities in the district, were basically a wash, with Caligiuri winning Meriden by a small margin, and Bernier winning New Britain by a small margin.

Caligiuri spoke during the primary campaign about the importance of geography in the general election.

He said that traditionally, the formula for Republican victory in this district is for the nominee to have a base of support that neutralizes the Democratic nominee's votes in one of the two major Democratic strongholds, Waterbury or New Britain.

Nancy Johnson used to win the district by neutralizing Democratic support in her base of New Britain.

Before her, John Rowland used to win by neutralizing his home base of Waterbury for the Democrats.

Caligiuri had argued that he would have similar support in Waterbury, which would be more important to victory in November than Bernier's base in the Farmington Valley, which would be expected to support a Republican regardless of where they are from.

Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy, seeking his third two-year term, is from Meriden.

On the map above, towns won by Bernier are colored in blue, towns won by Caligiuri are colored in red, and towns won by Greenberg are colored in green.

Plainville -- Talking Points Memo, a national news site, reported Thursday morning on a misleading mailer from Sam Caligiuri to voters throughout the Fifth Congressional district.

In the mailer, Caligiuri fraudulently refers to himself as the "Republican Nominee" to challenge incumbent Democrat Chris Murphy. The letter is postmarked July 27, two weeks prior to the August 10th Republican primary election.

According to the Talking Points Memo article, Caligiuri's opponent, Justin Bernier, is saying that the mailer may violate election law.

Here is a link to the TPM article: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/accusations-of-illegal-tactics-fly-in-connecticut-republican-primary.php

It's far from scientific, of course, but our poll question of the day at RegisterCitizen.Com asks readers who they are supporting in the race for Connecticut's 5th District congressional seat.

So far, the runaway winner, for the Aug. 10 Republican primary, is ... UNDECIDED.

One thing you won't get most candidates in Connecticut's Aug. 10 primary to talk about is whom they're supporting in races other than their own.

With the exception of the Ned Lamont-Mary Glassman vs. Dan Malloy-Nancy Wyman tickets in the Democratic primaries for governor and lieutenant governor, there are few public alliances between candidates across contested primary races.

In the Republican race for governor, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton dropped out (like Glassman on the Democratic side) to run for lieutenant governor as Michael Fedele's informal running mate. But the other two candidates, Tom Foley and Oz Griebel, chose not to run "with" a lieutenant governor nominee.

And when we asked our readers what slate of candidates they were supporting, it was all over the place. Even some who are supporting Fedele prefer his opponent in the lieutenant governor race, Lisa Wilson-Foley, and many supporting Boughton prefer Griebel or Foley over Fedele.

We looked for patterns of support between the U.S. Senate and 5th District Congress races, but honestly found none.

Support for Justin Bernier, or Sam Caligiuri, or even Mark Greenberg (who has endorsed Peter Schiff in the Senate race and vice versa) does not, apparently, tie to support to any one candidate for governor or Senate.

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).

Fifth District Republican congressional candidate Sam Caligiuri raised $43,256 during the month of April, compared to $29,104 by rival Justin Bernier and $7,872 by also-ran Mark Greenberg.

Bernier spins the fundraising picture differently, trumpeting the fact that his campaign had more "cash on hand after debt" May 1 than Caligiuri, $237,723 to $157,390.

The Caligiuri Campaign announces that Sam Caligiuri, Republican candidate for Congress (CT-5), reported exceptional fund-raising success for the first quarter of 2010. From individual contributors, Sam Caligiuri raised more than all of his Republican competitors in the Fifth Congressional District combined, out-raising his nearest competitor by more than two to one:
Sam Caligiuri (R) $203,566
Justin Bernier (R) $98,167
Mark Greenberg (R) $77,149

After only four months in the race, Caligiuri ends the first quarter of 2010 with $204,320 cash on hand, and a fund-raising total for this quarter of $244,095.

Caligiuri beat Chris Murphy in individual contributions, illustrating the strength of his campaign and the frustration with Democratic incumbent Chris Murphy.

"I was thrilled to have had such a successful fund-raising quarter, and exceptionally grateful to my many supporters. When you compare apples to apples, this outpouring of suport from individuals is overwhelming and their message is clear - my record and my message is resonating with voters, which makes me the strongest Republican candidate to take on Chris Murphy in November," said Caligiuri.

Today the Caligiuri campaign announces that the Torrington Republican Town Committee unanimously endorsed Sam Caligiuri's candidacy in the Fifth District Congressional District race. Mayor Ryan Bingham attending last night's meeting where he made the motion to endorse Caligiuri. The Republican Town Committee joins Mayor Ryan Bingham, State Senators Kevin Witkos and Andrew Roraback, and former State Representative Anne Ruwet in endorsing Caligiuri.

Torrington RTC Chair Susan Cogswell said, "When I worked with Sam during my tenure as State Insurance Commissioner, I was struck by his thoughtfulness and his strong grasp of the issues. We need a Congressman who understands the challenges of insurance issues, given the jobs at stake in our district and our state. The Torrington Republican Town Committee is in unanimous agreement that Sam is our strongest candidate, and we are eager to get to work for him in securing his nomination."

Caligiuri stated that he is honored to have earned this endorsement. Caligiuri believes that the Torrington Republicans support will be key to making this grassroots campaign a winning campaign.

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.

Waterbury, CT - Sam Caligiuri's campaign continues to build grassroots momentum, as evidenced by today's announcement that Southbury Republican Town Committee Chair Claire Dwyer has endorsed his candidacy.

Dwyer believes that Caligiuri has the best combination of attributes we need in our next Congressman. She elaborates, "Sam has a strong voting record when it comes to fiscal accountability. He is very passionate about voting for what he believes is right for our state rather than what the "herd" wants from him. He has the necessary knowledge, sincerity and tenacity to get things done. I have pledged to Sam as much of my time, talent, and energy as I can give to assist him in winning this very critical election because it is so important for the health and well-being of our state."

Caligiuri is honored to receive Dwyers endorsement. He looks forward to working with her and the Southbury Republicans to find legislative solutions that work for Southbury and the rest of the district.

Claire Dwyer has over twenty years of experience in education administration. She is currently a Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid at the University of New Haven.

Waterbury, CT - In the wake of the news that Representative Charlie Rangel will temporarily step down from his Chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee due to alleged ethics violations, Sam Caligiuri argued that Rangel is a poster child for the meaningful government reform he has been advocating on the campaign trail.

"As Chairman of a powerful Committee, it appears that Rangel used his position to accept gifts from a company that was trying to get legislation through his committee. This latest Rangel debacle is a prime example of the problems that come with the typical career politician, and why we must fight for real government reform. I have been a strong advocate of government reform because the American people deserve better than this tired model of corrupt politics." said Caligiuri.

Caligiuri has made government reform a hallmark of his Congressional campaign, outlining three core reforms he will fight for as a member of Congress:

1. Prohibiting committee chairs and ranking members from accepting campaign contributions from the industries they regulate;
2. Enacting term limit legislation that would apply to the entire Congress;
3. Banning earmarks and forcing members to use existing competitive processes to fund qualifying projects in their districts.

As acting mayor of Waterbury, Caligiuri dismantled corrupt systems that awarded city contracts to politically connected service providers.

Today, Peter Lawson, Chairman of the Canaan Republican Town Committee, has endorsed Caligiuri’s candidacy. The Bernier Campaign also claims to have obtained the endorsement of Chairman Lawson.
However, when asked about the endorsement, a representative for Caligieri opponent Justin Bernier's office pointed out that the town's RTC as a whole voted to endorse Bernier several weeks ago.
"I am very impressed with the way Sam led the city of Waterbury out of a devastating situation. His priorities of bringing fiscal conservatism and government reform to Washington are very clear, and exactly what we need to start fixing Washington. His outstanding record of service as Acting Mayor of Waterbury and as a State Senator make him the strongest, most credible candidate in this race," said Lawson.
"Earning Chairman Lawson’s support is both humbling and key to building the district-wide support base needed to run a winning campaign. I look forward to working with him and the rest of the Canaan RTC to ensure a Republican victory this November," said Caligiuri.

The worst-kept secret (in that basically they issued a press release about it without saying it) is now official.

Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham has endorsed state Sen. Sam Caligiuri for the Republican nomination to challenge 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy.

Waterbury State Sen. Sam Caligiuri has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to make a "major announcement."

It will be held at Borgeson Universal in Torrington, and it is being held "with Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham."

Hmmm, we wonder what the announcement could be about?

Sounds like Bingham will join a growing list of party establishment figures endorsing Caligiuri's bid to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Murphy.

Sam Caligiuri’s record of implementing creative solutions to legislative challenges continues to win him support for his Congressional campaign. Today, Former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner George Reider of Farmington endorsed his candidacy.

“Sam has the understanding and commitment to reform health care in a manner that preserves the best of our current system while at the same time expands care and more affordable coverage to millions of Americans. He knows that this can be done in a way that does not require government takeover of another industry. Sam has the right ideas for striking this balance, which will be critical as our country tackles this challenge,” said Reider.

“I am humbled that Commissioner Reider believes my ideas make me the candidate he supports in this race. It is a privilege to be able to tap into his years of experience and expertise as we look for solutions to the important issue of health care reform. There are numerous jobs here in Connecticut, and in the Farmington Valley especially, that hinge on thoughtful reform of health care. I look forward to working with Commissioner Reider on solutions that achieve the reform we need without jeopardizing those jobs,” said Caligiuri.

Reider has served in the public sector as an elected official at the local, state, and national levels. In addition to having served as the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner, Reider was also President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Reider is also a former Chair of the Farmington Town Council and a current member of the Farmington Republican Town Committee.

WATERBURY – Sam Caligiuri continues to show the swell of grassroots support for his candidacy with today’s announcement that he has earned endorsements from two more Republican Town Committee Chairpersons:

“After hearing from all the candidates, there is no doubt in my mind that Sam is by far the strongest and that he will serve the whole fifth district with integrity. Sam has the record of being a budget hawk and of presenting solutions, not just rhetoric. This record gives Sam real credibility and puts him head and shoulders above his competition,” said Anna McGuire, Chair of the North Canaan Republican Town Committee.

“I am thrilled to add Chairmen Carver and McGuire to my list of supporters. This election season is very promising for Republicans, but winning candidates will need this kind of on-the-ground, grassroots support from Town Committee leadership every step of the way. The work they do will be critical to a winning campaign,” said Caligiuri.