Former President Bill Clinton will stump for senatorial candidate Richard Blumenthal on September 26, his campaign announced today. The move makes sense for Clinton remains rather popular.
What makes less sense is Blumenthal’s fundraiser with President Obama last night. True, it raised $400,000, which he needs to compete with the “$50-million woman,” Linda McMahon. But it also allowed McMahon’s campaign to spend this morning circulating photos of Blumenthal being chummy with the president, of whom 52% of Nutmeggers disapprove. Douglas Schwartz, director of Quinnipiac University’s polling institute, recently called the president “a drag on Blumenthal.”
And Blumenthal knows it. Last night, he said in his remarks he would “never hesitate to oppose [Obama] if I believe the people of Connecticut would be better served by a different position.”
Unfortunately for Blumenthal, a free-thinking Democrat may be a distinction without a difference.