Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons put up a fight, but in the end he proved no match for the millions that newcomer Linda McMahon could pour into the campaign.
McMahon managed to squeeze delegates at the Republican convention until enough of them fled Simmons and businessman Peter Schiff to deliver her a first ballot nomination as the GOP's U.S. Senate candidate.
That sets her up to take on Democratic Richard Blumenthal in the fall for the seat that U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd is vacating.
Schiff is said to be eyeing a primary. Simmons might, too, though even many of his supporters said they don't see how the former congressman could topple McMahon.
Saturday morning update: Simmons is eyeing a primary. Schiff told reporters he plans to primary, too, though he'll need to collect some 15,000 signatures since he failed to get 15 percent of the delegates to side with him.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Showing posts with label Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simmons. Show all posts
May 21, 2010
May 19, 2010
Blumenthal tumbles in the polls
A new poll taken last night shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal with a 48-45 lead over Republican Linda McMahon. That's 10 points worse than he did two weeks ago.
He leads Rob Simmons by 11 points now compared to a 23 point margin two weeks ago in the Rasmussen survey.
Since the poll was done Tuesday evening, the difference is almost entirely due to the breaking news about Blumenthal's failure to stick to the truth on his military service record.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
He leads Rob Simmons by 11 points now compared to a 23 point margin two weeks ago in the Rasmussen survey.
Since the poll was done Tuesday evening, the difference is almost entirely due to the breaking news about Blumenthal's failure to stick to the truth on his military service record.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
May 18, 2010
McMahon nailed Blumenthal?
On her website, Republican Senate hopeful Linda McMahon explicitly takes credit for the New York Times story zinging Richard Blumenthal:
Even so, I can't help thinking it helps Rob Simmons more, given that he's an authentic Vietnam veteran who generally seems to understate what he did over there.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
McMahon Strikes Blumenthal In NYT Article
I suppose all those millions managed to turn up the video of Blumenthal talking to veterans, but who knows? In any case, it's remarkable that her campaign immediately credited itself for the story.Even so, I can't help thinking it helps Rob Simmons more, given that he's an authentic Vietnam veteran who generally seems to understate what he did over there.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 8, 2010
Nancy Johnson backs Simmons for Senate
Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, the New Britain Republican who represented Bristol for years, today endorsed the U.S. Senate bid of another former congressman, Rob Simmons.
Apparently Linda McMahon couldn't wrestle Johnson away from Simmons.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Apparently Linda McMahon couldn't wrestle Johnson away from Simmons.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
August 24, 2009
Simmons calls for health care reform
With the federal government running up record deficits, people are “really worried” about adding another trillion dollars or more to the red ink in order to create a national health care program, said U.S. Senate hopeful Rob Simmons.
Simmons, a Republican who aims to unseat incumbent Democrat Chris Dodd next year, said the nation’s health care system offers “uniformly high quality” but its costs are too high.
He said that reducing the cost can be done in part through tort reforms that would make it harder for lawyers to win costly judgments for their patients against doctors.
Changing the tort process, Simmons said, would eliminate “the biggest cost driver” in the medical system -- defensive medicine practiced by doctors who don’t want to get sued so they order more tests and procedures than may be necessary.
Simmons said the cost of heath care could decline as much as 30 percent if doctors didn’t have to worry about frivolous lawsuits.
He said the legal system’s handling of cases of alleged malpractice is “very inefficient” and doesn’t even help patients who are harmed as much as it should.
Simmons said that he would like to see a special court devoted to handling the cases that would streamline the process, accelerate payments to injured patients and end the wide variation of payouts that the jury system allows.
In addition, Simmons said, health insurance should be portable and not bound by state lines.
Simmons, a former congressman, also said that electronic records should be done soon so that hospitals and health care providers anywhere can quickly access a patient’s health history.
He said he would like to see electronic records pushed as part of the stimulus effort because it would help patients, doctors and hospitals.
Simmons said that part of the health care solution is to deal with people who are in the country illegally, many of them working but not covered by health insurance. He said he intends to talk about the issue in the future.
Simmons said that “done right,” heath care can be improved if middle of the road officials back a plan that works, leaving out if necessary those on the right and left who won’t go along with it.
He said that when the Congress passed a prescription drug plan for the elderly, it showed the right way to seek a solution -- long negotiations, compromise and careful tailoring of the legislation.
Simmons is the front-runner in a field of GOP hopefuls angling to unseat Dodd in 2010.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Simmons, a Republican who aims to unseat incumbent Democrat Chris Dodd next year, said the nation’s health care system offers “uniformly high quality” but its costs are too high.
He said that reducing the cost can be done in part through tort reforms that would make it harder for lawyers to win costly judgments for their patients against doctors.
Changing the tort process, Simmons said, would eliminate “the biggest cost driver” in the medical system -- defensive medicine practiced by doctors who don’t want to get sued so they order more tests and procedures than may be necessary.
Simmons said the cost of heath care could decline as much as 30 percent if doctors didn’t have to worry about frivolous lawsuits.
He said the legal system’s handling of cases of alleged malpractice is “very inefficient” and doesn’t even help patients who are harmed as much as it should.
Simmons said that he would like to see a special court devoted to handling the cases that would streamline the process, accelerate payments to injured patients and end the wide variation of payouts that the jury system allows.
In addition, Simmons said, health insurance should be portable and not bound by state lines.
Simmons, a former congressman, also said that electronic records should be done soon so that hospitals and health care providers anywhere can quickly access a patient’s health history.
He said he would like to see electronic records pushed as part of the stimulus effort because it would help patients, doctors and hospitals.
Simmons said that part of the health care solution is to deal with people who are in the country illegally, many of them working but not covered by health insurance. He said he intends to talk about the issue in the future.
Simmons said that “done right,” heath care can be improved if middle of the road officials back a plan that works, leaving out if necessary those on the right and left who won’t go along with it.
He said that when the Congress passed a prescription drug plan for the elderly, it showed the right way to seek a solution -- long negotiations, compromise and careful tailoring of the legislation.
Simmons is the front-runner in a field of GOP hopefuls angling to unseat Dodd in 2010.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Simmons opposes cap and trade
Instead of turning to a complex system of cap and trade credits to combat global warming, the country should consider a straightforward carbon tax that is “more simple and straightforward” for businesses and consumers, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate said Monday.
“I’m not fooled by cap and trade,” said Rob Simmons, who is angling to unseat U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd in next year’s election.
“It’s really a cap and tax” system that marks “a dangerous way to govern,” said Simmons, who never said whether he favored or opposed a carbon tax. [His campaign manager, Jim Barnett, said Tuesday that Simmons opposes a carbon tax and believes it would be a disaster for the economy.].
The U.S. House approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act in June -- which would allow the government to gradually lower carbon emissions that are responsible for global warming -- but the measure remains stalled in the Senate.
Under the proposed cap and trade system, companies that emit CO2 could reduce emissions to met lower targets or buy the right to use emission credits from other firms that have managed to cut carbon releases more sharply than mandated.
While some economists argue it is a good way to engage the free market, Simmons said it would create “a serious problem” for America’s energy markets and add a useless layer of complexity.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes Bristol, said the cap and trade plan was developed by Wall Street investment firms that aim “to make a ton of money” gaming a system only they will truly understand.
Simmons, a former congressman who faces several potential challengers from within the GOP for the right to be the party’s standard bearer against Dodd, said there are a number of “no-brainer kinds of things” that have to be done to tackle global warming.
He said the country needs a wider mix of energy sources that include renewables, more nuclear power, more domestic drilling for natural gas, more reliance on fuel cells and more vehicles that can run on electricity and other sources of energy other than gasoline.
Simmons said that the cap and trade idea that has enthralled so many in Washington would merely create a market for speculators to drive up costs and make a mint for themselves.
He said the government ought to “call it what it is” -- a carbon tax -- and take on the issue directly.
Generally, most of those pushing for a carbon tax instead argue that its simplicity would prevent the need for more bureaucratic oversight, drive out speculators and offer the chance to return any taxes collected through payroll or income tax reductions.
A carbon tax would tax each fossil fuel based on the carbon it emits, making coal more costly and natural gas less, at least in comparison.
During his failed 2008 presidential race, Dodd was the only serious Democratic candidate to tout a carbon tax over cap and trade. Dodd said other candidates dodged it because their pollsters and handlers warned them that favoring a carbon tax could bring trouble.
Simmons, Hamzy and Simmons’ campaign manager, Jim Barnett, spoke during a meeting Monday at The Bristol Press office.
Hamzy backs Simmons
Veteran state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican, added his voice to a growing chorus of endorsements for Rob Simmons’ U.S. Senate bid.
Simmons, a former congressman from Stonington, is “a proven vote-getter” with a solid background that shows he can defeat U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd in next year’s election, Hamzy said.
Hamzy, whose 78th District includes northwestern Bristol, said Dodd “has lost touch with what reality is” after so many years in Washington and could easily lose the support he’s always had from the “realistic Democrats” who live in Bristol.
Dodd “has done Washington,” Simmons said, and lost the trust of Connecticut voters.
Simmons said that Hamzy’s support sends a strong message to Republicans in the region who trust the 15-year veteran lawmaker’s judgment about the best candidate to knock Dodd out of the Senate...
A former state party chairman, Hamzy’s support may help Simmons break from a pack of potential candidates that includes state Sen. Sam Caliguri of Waterbury and former U.S. Ambassador Tom Foley.
“I take his support very seriously,” said Simmons, who lost his 2nd District congressional seat during the 2006 blowout. He served as the state’s business advocate for the next two years.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“I’m not fooled by cap and trade,” said Rob Simmons, who is angling to unseat U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd in next year’s election.
“It’s really a cap and tax” system that marks “a dangerous way to govern,” said Simmons, who never said whether he favored or opposed a carbon tax. [His campaign manager, Jim Barnett, said Tuesday that Simmons opposes a carbon tax and believes it would be a disaster for the economy.].
The U.S. House approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act in June -- which would allow the government to gradually lower carbon emissions that are responsible for global warming -- but the measure remains stalled in the Senate.
Under the proposed cap and trade system, companies that emit CO2 could reduce emissions to met lower targets or buy the right to use emission credits from other firms that have managed to cut carbon releases more sharply than mandated.
While some economists argue it is a good way to engage the free market, Simmons said it would create “a serious problem” for America’s energy markets and add a useless layer of complexity.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes Bristol, said the cap and trade plan was developed by Wall Street investment firms that aim “to make a ton of money” gaming a system only they will truly understand.
Simmons, a former congressman who faces several potential challengers from within the GOP for the right to be the party’s standard bearer against Dodd, said there are a number of “no-brainer kinds of things” that have to be done to tackle global warming.
He said the country needs a wider mix of energy sources that include renewables, more nuclear power, more domestic drilling for natural gas, more reliance on fuel cells and more vehicles that can run on electricity and other sources of energy other than gasoline.
Simmons said that the cap and trade idea that has enthralled so many in Washington would merely create a market for speculators to drive up costs and make a mint for themselves.
He said the government ought to “call it what it is” -- a carbon tax -- and take on the issue directly.
Generally, most of those pushing for a carbon tax instead argue that its simplicity would prevent the need for more bureaucratic oversight, drive out speculators and offer the chance to return any taxes collected through payroll or income tax reductions.
A carbon tax would tax each fossil fuel based on the carbon it emits, making coal more costly and natural gas less, at least in comparison.
During his failed 2008 presidential race, Dodd was the only serious Democratic candidate to tout a carbon tax over cap and trade. Dodd said other candidates dodged it because their pollsters and handlers warned them that favoring a carbon tax could bring trouble.
Simmons, Hamzy and Simmons’ campaign manager, Jim Barnett, spoke during a meeting Monday at The Bristol Press office.
Hamzy backs Simmons
Veteran state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican, added his voice to a growing chorus of endorsements for Rob Simmons’ U.S. Senate bid.
Simmons, a former congressman from Stonington, is “a proven vote-getter” with a solid background that shows he can defeat U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd in next year’s election, Hamzy said.
Hamzy, whose 78th District includes northwestern Bristol, said Dodd “has lost touch with what reality is” after so many years in Washington and could easily lose the support he’s always had from the “realistic Democrats” who live in Bristol.
Dodd “has done Washington,” Simmons said, and lost the trust of Connecticut voters.
Simmons said that Hamzy’s support sends a strong message to Republicans in the region who trust the 15-year veteran lawmaker’s judgment about the best candidate to knock Dodd out of the Senate...
A former state party chairman, Hamzy’s support may help Simmons break from a pack of potential candidates that includes state Sen. Sam Caliguri of Waterbury and former U.S. Ambassador Tom Foley.
“I take his support very seriously,” said Simmons, who lost his 2nd District congressional seat during the 2006 blowout. He served as the state’s business advocate for the next two years.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Hamzy backs Simmons in U.S. Senate race
Press release from Republican Ron Simmons' U.S. Senate campaign:
Former State GOP Chairman and Deputy House GOP Leader
Rep. Bill Hamzy Endorses Rob Simmons
(MYSTIC) - The Simmons for Senate campaign announced today that Deputy House Republican Leader Bill Hamzy, a former Connecticut Republican Party chairman, endorsed Rob Simmons for U.S. Senate.
"Rob Simmons has spent decades supporting the Republican Party and working hard for our local committees and candidates," said Hamzy. "Rob always puts service above self, and his experience, character and vision make him the best choice to be our next U.S. Senator."
"Rep. Hamzy is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike for his integrity and his commitment to service," said Simmons. "He has served our party and state with distinction, and I am honored to welcome him to my growing team."
Rep. Hamzy was first elected to the General Assembly in 1994. He has served as Deputy Republican Leader since 2007, and was Assistant Republican Leader from 2003- 2006. He served as chairman of the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2005. Hamzy is a partner at the law firm Hamzy & Conlin in Bristol.
Hamzy joins House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, Sen. Tony Guglielmo, 20 members of the Republican State Central Committee and former U.S. Senator and GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson (R-TN) among Rob Simmons' growing list of public endorsements.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Former State GOP Chairman and Deputy House GOP Leader
Rep. Bill Hamzy Endorses Rob Simmons
(MYSTIC) - The Simmons for Senate campaign announced today that Deputy House Republican Leader Bill Hamzy, a former Connecticut Republican Party chairman, endorsed Rob Simmons for U.S. Senate.
"Rob Simmons has spent decades supporting the Republican Party and working hard for our local committees and candidates," said Hamzy. "Rob always puts service above self, and his experience, character and vision make him the best choice to be our next U.S. Senator."
"Rep. Hamzy is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike for his integrity and his commitment to service," said Simmons. "He has served our party and state with distinction, and I am honored to welcome him to my growing team."
Rep. Hamzy was first elected to the General Assembly in 1994. He has served as Deputy Republican Leader since 2007, and was Assistant Republican Leader from 2003- 2006. He served as chairman of the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2005. Hamzy is a partner at the law firm Hamzy & Conlin in Bristol.
Hamzy joins House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, Sen. Tony Guglielmo, 20 members of the Republican State Central Committee and former U.S. Senator and GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson (R-TN) among Rob Simmons' growing list of public endorsements.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
June 13, 2009
Simmons isn't the only one taking on Dodd
Connecticut Local Politics has a good overview here.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
May 11, 2009
A Texas billionaire and Rob Simmons
Former Republican congressional candidate Joe Visconti said that he was talking to U.S. Senate hopeful Rob Simmons recently about the difficulty of raising money for a campaign in Connecticut.
Visconti said it's hard to raise money for the GOP in the Nutmeg State "because nobody thinks we can win" against incumbent Democrats.
He said that he and Simmons both recognized the need to raise money in Red States where Republicans hold sway.
In fact, Visconti said, Simmons told him he "was flying to Texas to get money from a billionaire" to help unseat Dodd.
I guess Dodd's allies on Wall Street, who have lavished campaign contributions on Connecticut's senior senator, aren't the only ones with big bucks.
Not sure who our Simmons is talking to down in Texas, but it could be this guy.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Visconti said it's hard to raise money for the GOP in the Nutmeg State "because nobody thinks we can win" against incumbent Democrats.
He said that he and Simmons both recognized the need to raise money in Red States where Republicans hold sway.
In fact, Visconti said, Simmons told him he "was flying to Texas to get money from a billionaire" to help unseat Dodd.
I guess Dodd's allies on Wall Street, who have lavished campaign contributions on Connecticut's senior senator, aren't the only ones with big bucks.
Not sure who our Simmons is talking to down in Texas, but it could be this guy.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 20, 2009
Simmons takes aim at Dodd in Bristol speech
A former congressman who is taking aim at U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd told Bristol Republicans Friday that his opponent “used his office for personal gain.”
Rob Simmons, the likely GOP candidate in 2010 for the Senate seat held by Dodd, said that Connecticut’s senior senator has taken sweetheart deals from mortgage companies he regulates, made money off an Irish cottage deal he made with a former felon and failed to oversee the housing and financial markets that his banking committee has responsibility for keeping an eye on.
Dodd “flip-flopped” this week on the question of whether he approved a bill that allowed AIG executives to receive large bonuses after receiving billions in taxpayer aid, Simmons said, and ultimately said he merely took orders from the treasury secretary.
“Since when does the powerful chairman of the Senate banking and housing committee take secret orders from the administration to protect millions of dollars of bonuses for bailed out executives?” Simmons asked.
Dodd said in a statement this week that “reports that I changed my position on this issue are simply untrue” and that he has always been a leader in fighting against excessive executive compensation.
Simmons is the only declared Republican senatorial candidate. He announced his intention to run on Sunday, making his foray to
Among the other potential Republican contenders is state Sen. Sam Caligiuri of
Simmons told about 60 GOP leaders at Nuchies that he is “proud to be a Republican” and that he is determined to help bring “real change” to
Emphasizing his commitment to free enterprise and small business, Simmons said that government’s role is to help those who can’t help themselves, not “a way of helping ourselves.”
“We need more good private sector jobs, not public sector bureaucrats,” he said. “We need to grow the economy, not the government.”
Pointing to his background as a U.S. Army officer, Simmons said, “I did not spend four years in
Bristol Republicans at the annual Lincoln Day dinner said they were impressed with the former congressman who served southeastern
“He’s spot on,” said former state House Minority Leader Edward Krawiecki, Jr who once recruited Simmons to run for the state legislature.
Simmons “is a great guy with a wealth of knowledge. He’s bright. He’s talented. He understands how
“I think I could beat Dodd,” said Rimcoski, a veteran Republican councilor.
Republicans honored candidates
As part of their yearly Lincoln Day dinner, the city’s GOP honored its candidates for 2008, including state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes part of
They also honored unsuccessful 77th District contender Jill Fitzgerald and had a moment of silence for both men who ran in the 79th District, Derek Jerome and David Norton, each of whom died.
The party added former city Republican Chairman Whit Betts to its auxiliary to honor his long record of support for the GOP in
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 17, 2009
Simmons coming to Bristol Friday
Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, who announced this week he intends to run for senator, is slated to make one of his first campaign stops in Bristol Friday for the Republicans’ Lincoln Day fundraising dinner.
Simmons is taking aim at longtime U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat who could be vulnerable in the 2010 race.
Bristol GOP Chairman T.J. Barnes said Tuesday that Simmons is one of the few people in his party in Connecticut with the stature to take on Dodd – and perhaps win.
The Lincoln Day dinner is typically the major fundraiser for the city’s Republican Party each year. Barnes said he expects at least 60 people to attend the dinner at Nuchie’s.
Simmons, who lives in Stonington, is in a dead heat with Dodd, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week.
The poll’s director, Douglas Schwartz, said the results “have to worry” Dodd since Simmons “is not well known outside his district, yet he is running neck and neck with Dodd at this point,” according to a Quinnipiac press release.
Simmons represented southeastern Connecticut in Congress from 2000 until 2006, when he was ousted by U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney in a razor-thin election.
The city GOP dinner, which costs $50 a person, is slated to begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., a meal at 6:30 and an address by Simmons at 7:30.
For more information or to buy tickets, contact Barnes at (860) 314-0423.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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