Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, who suspended his campaign for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Connecticut after narrowly failing to secure his party’s endorsement in late May, appears to be slowly re-entering the race.
Simmons, who still had $885,000 in his campaign account at the end of June, recently began airing television spots that he described as a “public service announcement,” reminding Connecticut Republicans that his name was still on the August 10 primary ballot.
The modest television buy, which cost approximately $200,000, fueled speculation that Simmons was again preparing to campaign for the seat being vacated by longtime Senator Chris Dodd.
Simmons, however, denied that he was rejoining the race, telling Roll Call that he was merely “engaging in a discussion of the issues.”
That all appeared to change last night when the lanky former congressman and ex-CIA agent participated in a debate hosted by the Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations.
“I’m Rob Simmons,” he told last night‘s audience at Trinity College in Hartford. “I am running for the United States Senate, because I love my country, and I don’t like where it’s going.”
Simmons, who’s been consistently polling more than a quarter of the vote since suspending his campaign two months ago, was joined in last night’s debate by GOP Senate hopeful Peter Schiff, the president of Euro Pacific Capital who accurately predicted the “Great Recession“ more than a year before it began in 2007.
Minor-party candidates John Mertens, an engineering professor at Trinity College, and businessman Warren Mosler also participated in the debate.
GOP frontrunner Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who has already spent more than $22 million of her own money to win her party’s nomination, was a no-show at last night’s debate. Democrat Richard Blumenthal also failed to make an appearance.
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