Chris Dodd was the longest serving senator in Connecticut history.  He ran for president in 2008, was briefly considered as a vice-presidential candidate, and campaigned on behalf of Democrats in our state for more than 30 years.    There are countless video clips and pictures of him being embraced by state Democrats and stories of how Dodd helped them and their tales of what a great senator he was.

Lowell Weicker is one of the longest serving Republican senators in Connecticut history, and the only Republican elected senator in our state in the past 50 years.    He helped  bring down a corrupt president, and is one of the few people elected to the House and Senate and elected governor.

But during our recent senate debates when we asked the candidates who is their favorite senator in Connecticut history, not one person answered Dodd or Weicker.

Congressman Chris Murphy picked Abe Ribicoff, rather than Dodd, the man who campaigned for him in his pivotal race  in 2006,  a man who had been his senator since he was seven years old, the man for whom he served as an intern.     Dodd also campaigned for Susan Bysiewicz over the years,  but the former secretary of the state didn’t choose Dodd either,  fumbling the question along with  Lee Whitnum.    Whitnum picked Rosa DeLauro, who is not a senator.   William Tong also picked Ribicoff.    Matthew Oakes said he would have picked Dodd, but “he let me down.”

Three of the Republicans picked Prescott Bush, rather than the only Republican alive who has navigated the Connecticut political waters to win a senate seat, and be re-elected to it two times.    Linda McMahon picked Joe Lieberman, and Chris Shays picked William Johnson, one Connecticut’s first two senators.