connecticut

There was a time in 2012 when it looked like Connecticut might do what it had never done before: Elect a female senator.  

WWE co-founder and former CEO Linda McMahon was investing tens of millions of dollars of her personal fortune trying to become the state's first Republican senator in more than two decades.  

Dannel P. Malloy is a Democratic governor of a Democratic state, but he is far from a sure thing for re-election in November.  

Malloy won a close race in 2010 and will likely face former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, a Republican, once again. The governor’s polling numbers have been consistently mediocre and this is looking increasingly like another close and competitive race.  

In the heat of the campaign, it can be easy to disqualify or dismiss candidates based on unsettling, or sometimes unseemly, revelations. But all you have to do is look at the current lineup of senators to realize that imperfect people win elections.  

Connecticut is a great place to start.  

In 2007, William Petit survived a brutal home invasion in which his wife and two daughters were killed. Last year, Amar Kaleka’s father was killed in the shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Now, both men are seriously considering running for office.

But the road from family tragedy to Congress is not easy. Just ask Patty Wetterling.

Even in the best of times, New England isn’t particularly friendly to Republicans. Today, the GOP boasts just two members — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire — as the only elected officials at the federal level in the six-state region.

Next year, Republicans will try to climb back to some relevance. Here are the top five races to watch in that region:

After Connecticut Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy guided the state through the Newtown shootings, it’s not unreasonable to expect a rally-around-the-flag dynamic for him. But that hasn’t happened.

A June 12-17 Quinnipiac University poll found 47 percent of registered voters in Connecticut approved of the job Malloy was doing, while 47 percent disapproved. The governor received slightly favorable ratings on the gun issue, but his job approval suffered because of his handling of the budget, taxes and economy.

Freshman members who are elected to a first term with less than 50 percent of the vote are often automatic takeover targets the next cycle. But Republicans are having difficulty finding a top-tier challenger to Rep. Elizabeth Esty in Connecticut's 5th District.

Esty was first elected last fall, 51 percent to 49 percent, over state Sen. Andrew Roraback. A moderate Republican, Roraback would have been a formidable challenger in 2014, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, appointed him as a judge after the election. That boosted Democratic hopes of retaining the seat.

Republican businessman Mark Greenberg will make a third run for Congress in Connecticut's 5th District, the Hartford Courant is reporting.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., used the possibility of former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon running for Congress to bring in bucks on Thursday.

"She's baaaaaaaaack," read the email from Himes, who warned his supporters that the two-time Senate candidate could try to "buy" a House seat.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is about to do fellow Democrat Rep. Elizabeth Esty a big favor. He is nominating her 2012 Republican rival, former state Sen. Andrew Roraback, to a state judgeship, according to local reports.

Connecticut political operatives are abuzz with the news. Democrats are elated, while Republicans are concerned. All wonder if the move neutralizes Roraback's ability to challenge Esty next year. The 5th District saw one of the closest House races in the country and is a place where Republicans had been looking to go on offense — with Roraback as their standard-bearer. A local newspaper recently named Roraback its 2012 Person of the Year.