Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D) putative opponent in next year’s Senate election begins to chip away:

Former Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., says he voted for Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., in the 1980s.

But now that Dodd finds himself caught up in a string of controversies, Simmons is itching to take him on in 2010, arguing that Dodd has violated Connecticut’s public trust.
“Chris Dodd has gone Washington and the people back home are upset by that,” Simmons told ABC News Monday…Dodd has been caught up in the fury surrounding bonuses for AIG executives; he received favorable treatment on two mortgages from Countrywide Financial; he got an eyebrow-raising deal on a house in Ireland; and, most galling to Simmons, he moved his family to Iowa in 2007 in furtherance of his presidential ambitions.

A moderate with a fairly conservative voting record, Simmons used to represent the farthest east and most Democratic district in Connecticut. He was finally defeated in 2006 by Joe Courtney (D) by just 83 votes. If anyone can beat Dodd, he’s probably the guy. And Dodd is looking beatable.