Gone are the days of boring senate races in Connecticut. Ever since Lieberman Lamont of 2006, nutmeggers want a race with some red meat in it, not the yawners of yore. Can you remember Chris Dodd’s opponent in any of the years he ran, like 1992? I didn’t think so.

After back to back elections with Linda McMahon as their nominee, who will Republicans turn to challenge Senator Dick Blumenthal next year? Planning and fundraising for the race will begin this year, and the pool of potential candidates was the topic of discussion on Sunday’s Face the State.

Political analyst Duby McDowell, and Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie discussed the race with me, and Rennie, a former Republican state senator, threw out a few names. Rennie suggested former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker and former Navy Seal Carl Higbie might seek the seat which hasn’t been held by a Republican since Prescott Bush in the early 1960s. McDowell says it doesn’t matter who the GOP nominates, in her view, Connecticut will be blue for years to come and Blumenthal is unbeatable.

Who else could Republicans recruit? My wild card suggestion I tossed into the conversation? Joe Scarborough. Hey, the host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC is a former congressman, was talked about as a potential candidate for president, lives in Fairfield County, has name recognition, the ability to raise money, and of course, has a Hartford Whalers hat.

I can’t think of a Republican in our state more well known, not counting those who’ve run before. If Scarborough were to win, he would easily rise to the top of White House contenders in 2020 or 2024.

C’mon, wouldn’t a Blumenthal Scarborough race be cool to cover?

Watch the segment right here about 6 minutes in: http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10999052

By the way, Senator Dodd’s opponent in 1992 was Brook Johnson, covered on election night by an up and coming reporter named Mika Brzezinski.