With much national-level ink being spent these days in discussion of the big ‘online gap’ between Republican and Democratic candidates, it is worth noting that in Connecticut, the Republican candidates for U.S. Congress across the state have made significant investments in time, money, and energy into developing the Internet as a tool for their election campaigns.

Joe Visconti, First Congressional District - Challenging U.S. Rep. John Larson

The First Congressional District has been a tough district for Republican candidates since, well, the 1950s.  Many good candidates - like 2008 Prescott Bush Award winner Wally Barnes of Bristol - haven’t been able to break the Democratic stranglehold on the district.  The much vaunted Kevin O’Connor ran a terrific campaign in 1998, but still got only 42% of the vote.  Since ‘98, the GOP has struggled to get quality candidates to take on this uphill climb.

2008 candidate Joe Visconti, a West Hartford Town Councilor, is perhaps the best Republican candidate since O’Connor.  He’s been visible at numerous fairs and parades, active across the First District, and has put together an informative website to help facilitate the campaign - www.viscontiforcongress.org.  Easily the best Republican website ever in the First Congressional District, the Visconti campaign keeps a good site with events, photos, and plenty of interesting news items.

Sean Sullivan, Second Congressional District - Challenging U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney 

After hosting the closest race in the nation in 2006, the ‘Big Deuce’ will again be a battleground in 2008 as retired submariner Sean Sullivan challenges Joe Courtney to represent 65 Connectict towns in the House of Representatives.

The Sullivan effort has come along nicely on the ’series of tubes’.  In particular, the campaign has done a great deal with YouTube videos - using them as a way for people all across the 2nd District to listen to the candidate himself talk about the problems people face and what needs to be done to fix them.  Check out the main website at www.sullivan2008.com.

Boaz “Bo” ItsHaky, Third Congressional Distrct - Challenging U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro

The Third District is much like the First District - a tough slog for Republican candidates.  U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro has taken advantage of this ability by becoming the Ethanol Queen of New England - because lumping food supply and fuel supply into the same resource pool always seemed like a terrific idea. 

Republican candidate Boaz “Bo”ItsHaky has a very unique story to tell to the residents of the Third District, and he is quickly ramping up his online efforts to do so.  A regular commenter on blogs like Connecticut Local Politics, it came as no surprise that Bo’s campaign website is set up as a blog/vlog format - so that he can facilitate interaction between voters and the candidate.

Perhaps the most interesting intersection of Bo’s unique story and online persona came yesterday on this blog, when he added his own experience with the victims of terror, which can be found here.  More about Bo can be found at www.boforcongress.com. 

U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays, Fourth Congressional District - Challenged by Jim Himes

A frequent target for Fairfield County’s basement dwellers, Congressman Christopher Shays has built an aggressive e-campaign for the 2008 effort that is far superior to his previous accomplishments in the venue.  The Shays campaign overhaul their website earlier this year, rolling out a sleeker format that makes full use of YouTube, Facebook, and more.

In the ever-important Facebook Friends race, Congressman Shays has more than double that of Himes - boasting 939 friends to 439 pals for Himes.

With a boatload of cash coming into the district from Washington, Jim Himes will make sure that Shays has another strong challenge.  But Shays has thrived in the Fourth District, having represented it in Washington since 1987, and surviving 2006 was no small feat.  With the new website and the high energy that always characterizes the Shays campaign, 2008 should be a good year for New England’s only Republican Congressman.  Learn more at www.shays2008.com.

State Senator David Cappiello, Fifth Congressional District - Challenging U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy

State Sen. David Cappiello has already waged an impressive race in the Fifth Congressional District, consistently posting strong fundraising numbers and drawing national attention from political publications that characterize him as one of the best chances for a successful Republican challenge in the nation.

The Cappiello e-Campaign has been equally positive, with offerings on MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube in addition to their highly interactive website.  They recently posted a YouTube video critical of their opponent, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, for his position on offshore drilling.

You can find the Cappiello campaign online at www.davidcappiello.com.

On Saturday, May 10, Republicans from all over Connecticut gathered in their respective Congressional Districts to nominate Republican candidates for U.S. Congress.  With Sen. John McCain at the top of the ticket and Congressional approval ratings at a strong 21%, fielding a full slate of candidates will hold Congressional Democrats accountable for their mistakes over the past 16 months.

We’ve already reported on the rousing nomination of First Congressional District candidate Joe Visconti.  His Convention was well received by many of the delegates in attendance, with most commenting about it being the “most energetic” Convention they had seen in years.  In Eastern Connecticut’s Second Congressional District, Captain Sean Sullivan was nominated to challenge one-term Congressman Joe Courtney.  In accepting the nomination by unanimous voice vote, Sullivan used a humorous story from his submarine days to make the case for his candidacy:

“I am reminded of a time in command of a submarine when we were conducting exercises in the southern Gulf of Thailand. The ship was sitting on the surface in shallow waters and a large tanker approached with constant bearing and decreasing range. If you are a mariner, you know constant bearing, decreasing range is no good. Ultimately, the range will be zero and a collision will ruin your day.

My supply officer was the contact coordinator. Navy Supply Officers are affectionately known as “Chop”. They put on a great meal, but most are not great mariners.

On this occasion, my Chop called to the bridge with a recommended course change to the east. It was a good course to avoid the tanker and all the other ships in the area. It was a textbook course change for collision avoidance. Only one problem. If we turned to the east, we’d run aground on Vietnam! I did not take that recommendation.”  - Sean Sullivan, May 10, 2008

In the Third Congressional District, Boaz ItsHaky, a Bethany acupuncturist, is the Republican nominee.  Bo has a diverse array of interests and a compelling personal story - growing up on a kibbutz in Israel, serving in the IDF, and then migrating to the United States.  A Member of the Republican State Central Committee from the 17th State Senate District, Bo will continue his great service to his Party and to his adopted nation.  Hopefully the voters of the 3rd Congressional District will “Go with Bo” on Election Day.

Connecticut’s Republican Congressman Christopher Shays was nominated once again in the Fourth CD at Darien Town Hall on Saturday evening.  In accepting the nomination, Congressman Shays commented about the 2006 results, saying: “The last election left me as a caucus of one,” U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays of Bridgeport said in his speech accepting the nomination. “Democrats didn’t really win the election of 2006. Republicans lost that election because we lost our way.”  Shays, the only Republican Congressman from New England, will fight hard to keep his seat from Democratic challenger Jim Himes.

And in the Fifth Congressional District, State Sen. David Cappiello was nominated to face one-term Congressman Chris Murphy.  The 5th had been the one anticipated contested Convention in the State as late as Wednesday of last week.  But the announcement that former State Rep. Tony Nania would not challenge Cappiello ended that storyline.  Cappiello commented that, “The people of Connecticut are tired of a do-nothing Congress that has failed to address their needs, and worse, has an unacceptable habit of saying one thing but doing another.”  Look for Cappiello to wage an aggressive bid for Congress against Rep. Murphy this fall.

Arguably the most interesting storyline of the 2008 Congressional Conventions was in the 5th Congressional District face-off between former State Rep. Anthony Nania and State Sen. David Cappiello.  Sen. Cappiello announced his bid for Congress and had already raised a significant sum of money when rumors began circulating about a Nania challenge in August ‘07.  Speculation continued to run rampant as website domains were reserved and Republican Town Committees were visited during the winter months. 

In recent weeks, however, the effort seemed to wane as the fundraising tallies for the two gentlemen headed in opposite directions - with Cappiello’s coffers growing while Nania’s fell flat.  It still came as a surprise, however, when former State Rep. Nania informed Chairman Healy that he would not be mounting a Convention challenge to Cappiello yesterday.  His gracious exit from the race clears the way for Cappiello’s nomination tomorrow.

Republicans all across Connecticut will gather in their various Congressional Districts this Saturday, May 10th, to nominate candidates for Congress.  The First Congressional District Convention will be held at West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium, at 10am.  It is anticipated that West Hartford Councilor Joseph Visconti will be nominated.  Former Commander Sean Sullivan will stand for nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.  And in the Fourth District, Congressman Christopher Shays will be re-nominated for another term in Congress.

Representative Christopher Shays, of the 4th Congressional District, will face yet another strong challenger for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall.  Greenwich Democratic Town Committee Chairman Jim Himes will make a bid for the seat that Shays has held since 1987. 

Representative Shays has long been noted for his fiscal conservatism - maintaining a seat on the Financial Services Committee, which deals with numerous issues critical to many Fairfield County residents.  Shays is also widely respected for his willingness to work across party lines on a host of issues - most recently highlighted by his work with Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island on a universal health care plan.   Congressman Shays has been outspoken in the fight on terrorism.  Taking his oversight role as a legislator seriously, Shays has visited Iraq 19 times since 2003 - visiting Iraq almost once a quarter to ascertain on-the-ground reports about the situation.  The residents of the Fourth District have consistently endorsed Shays’ work, returning him to Congress despite several aggressive challenges in recent years.

The proof is apparent in Shays’ fundraising efforts - with much of his financial backing coming from past donors.  According to the Hartford Courant:

That job is made easier by Shays’ long history in the 4th District, where he’s held elective office for 32 years. More than 70 percent of the people who have contributed more than $250 to his current campaign so far also gave to the 2006 race.”Our contributor base has grown from year to year wonderfully, and we appreciate it very much,” Sohn said. “When I started with Chris [in 2002] we had a donor base of just under 4,000 people. Our donor base is now well over 7,000.”

In contrast, according to the same Courant article Mr. Himes has raised more than half of his money from outside the state of Connecticut.

While most of Shays’ individual donations to date have been provided by Connecticut residents, more than half of Himes’ money has come from out of state. Half of the out-of-state contributions are from New York; the next largest source is California.

There is little doubt that the race for the 4th District will again be full of vigor - as is well suited to our democracy. But it seems apparent at this moment that the same high quality level of service provided to his constituents over the past years will propel Congressman Shays to another celebratory Election Night on November 4th, 2008.

The major news of the day was the incredibly tense Congressional hearing today before the House Government Reform Committee, chaired by the very short Rep. Waxman of California and the quite tall Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia.  All-star pitcher Roger Clemens faced his accuser and former trainer, Brian McNamee.  The damning Mitchell Report cited an interview from McNamee which claimed that Roger Clemens used human growth hormone (HGH) during the course of his career.  Mr. Clemens has vehemently denied any such allegation and claims that McNamee is lying. 

 During the hearing today, it was revealed that the southpaw Andy Pettitte admitted to using HGH on more than one occasion and having conversations with “the Rocket” about Clemens’ use of the banned hormone.  Calling Pettitte “a friend”, Clemens said he was “shocked” to learn of the Pettitte confession.  The other shocking news was that Mr. McNamee claimed to have turned over syringes and other paraphernalia that McNamee said he used to administer HGH to the man who won 7 Cy Young Awards. 

Connecticut Congressman Christopher Shays was particularly tough  on Brian McNamee, the trainer who allegedly injected Human Growth Hormone into the body of All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens.

Rep. Christopher Shays calls McNamee a police officer who became a drug dealer. “Mr. McNamee, you are a drug dealer.” (McNamee used to work as a cop in New York.)”That’s your opinion,” McNamee says.

“You were dealing in them, yes?” Shays asks.

“Yes,” McNamee says.

“and they were illegal.” Shays continues.

“Yes.”

The hearing swung between riveting and sideshow as the two men - Clemens and McNamee - lobbed rhetorical hand grenades at each other throughout the course of the day.  Neither seemed to score a coup de grace in the confrontation, though almost certainly one of the two committed perjury throughout the day.  We’ll have to wait and see what the tests reveal to determine if Clemens was “juiced”.

Congressman Christopher Shays of the 4th Congressional District offered comments to the Connecticut Post (the story also ran in the Stamford Advocate) yesterday about the War in Iraq, steroids in baseball, and his steadfast support for Arizona Senator John McCain’s Presidential bid.  The highlights:

Iraq

“”If someone comes and testifies, they better tell the truth,” Shays said yesterday. If they don’t, he said, “we would have an absolute obligation, no matter how famous they are, to go after them legally.”

Iraqis are “actually starting to like us,” and starting to believe Americans aren’t just there for the country’s oil, he said. Shays visited Turkey, Jordan and Iraq from Nov. 25 to Dec. 4.

He restated his support for a timeline for drawing down U.S. troops in Iraq, although 50,000 to 60,000 troops need to stay.”

Baseball

“U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays on Thursday warned Major League Baseball players against lying about any steroid use when they appear at congressional hearings.

“If someone comes and testifies, they better tell the truth,” he said. If they don’t, he said, “we would have an absolute obligation, no matter how famous they are, to go after them legally.”

Sen. John McCain

“. . . Shays said he will mobilize his supporters to work on behalf of Arizona Sen. John McCain in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.

“I believe in this candidate more than I’ve ever believed in any presidential candidate,” Shays said.”

Congressman Christopher Shays is in New Hampshire this weekend campaigning for Arizona Senator John McCain.