Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

OCTOBER 2, 2017 • HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL | 63 moniker of the "hipster" delegate. She apologizes for neither. But her advocacy for progressive causes is unchallenged. She is a founder of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a consistent vote for issues from gun reform to food safety regulations. Prior to her run for Congress, she was the first executive director of EMILY's List, a national organization that works to increase the number of women in elected office and served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd. The Third District runs along Long Island Sound from east of Bridgeport to her native New Haven and up the valley to Waterbury Chris Dodd From 1981 through 2011, Dodd represented the state in the U.S. Senate, the longest tenure ever by a Connecticut politician. During those 30 years, he tested the waters for a presidential candidacy, chaired the Democratic National Committee, served as chair of the Senate Banking Committee and teamed with Rep. Barney Frank to author landmark legislation that reformed the ways banks and investment houses operated. He also was an author and champion of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Along the way, he was involved in controversies stemming from allegations he accepted favorable mortgage terms from lenders affected by actions of the banking committee. During the economic crisis of 2008-09, he found himself in the middle of a controversy over bonus payments to executives of AIG, a firm that was being bailed out by the government. After leaving Congress, he spent six years leading the Motion Picture Association of America. Before his election to the Senate, Dodd spent six years in the House representing the Second District. Joe Lieberman From 1989 through 2013, Lieberman represented his state in the U.S. Senate. At the peak of his power, he came within a hanging chad of becoming vice president in 2000 on a ticket with Al Gore. In 2004, he unsuccessfully sought the presidency. In 2006, he lost the Democratic primary for his Senate seat to Ned Lamont but won re-election as an independent. He drifted toward the Republicans during the Obama years, even flirting with a second VP bid alongside his friend Sen. John McCain, before exiting the Senate in 2013. This year, Lieberman was on President Trump's short list for FBI director before withdrawing. As a U.S. senator, Lieberman is credited with advancing the rating system for video games, leading the fight for creation of the Department of Homeland Security, overhauling FEMA and directing the response to the swine flu epidemic. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade in the state Senate, six as majority leader, and four years as state attorney general. Richard Blumenthal No politician has had a larger impact on Connecticut in the past quarter-century than Blumenthal. During his 20-year run as state attorney general (1991-2010), he used litigation as a weapon against an array of targets from big tobacco and mortgage lender Countrywide Financial to Microsoft and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The overarching theme was consumer protection. And voters responded to the media-savvy Blumenthal, sweeping him to a series of easy victories. In 2010, he won the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd and in his 2016 re-election victory became the first candidate to garner 1 million votes in a statewide election. As a senator, he has continued his litigious ways, leading a suit against President Trump over alleged violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. He has been an advocate for tighter rules on guns and in defense of the environment. He found himself in a dustup in 2010 after misstating his record of military service during the Vietnam era. Chris Murphy In his first term as a U.S. Senator, Murphy has made a name for himself as a fierce advocate for gun reform and for his willingness to politicize tragedy. The three-term Congressman from northwest Connecticut was elected to the Senate just a month before the Sandy Hook tragedy. He led a 15-hour filibuster to force majority Republicans to allow consideration of tougher gun rules. After the Orlando nightclub shootings, he walked across Connecticut to call attention to the gun control issue. He told the Washington Post that action on the issue must flow from the tragedies and politicizing them is necessary. He also has been an advocate for overhauling the nation's mental health system. He first won a seat in the state House at age 25, moved to the state Senate at 29, then onto to Congress at 33. Now, at age 45, the White House considers him one of the four most likely to challenge Trump in 2020. 25 Years of Political Leaders

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