Blumenthal wins Dem Senate nomination days after Vietnam controversy

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal won the
Democratic Party’s nomination for the Senate Friday days after a political
firestorm over his military record.

Blumenthal acknowledged his imperfections in his address to
the convention, telling delegates that he had made mistakes and had endured a
tough week.

He also signaled defiance; Blumenthal came to the stage to
the soundtrack of “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

{mosads}Blumenthal said he had taken “responsibility” for his
mistakes, according to a report in the Hartford Courant. He also said the
campaign for the Senate should be “about the people of Connecticut.”

Blumenthal’s victory was not a surprise. The attorney
general entered the race to save a Senate seat for his party when Sen. Chris
Dodd (D), bruised by controversy and seeing his poll numbers fall, bowed out
after five terms in office.

Blumenthal faced minimal opposition for his party’s
nomination, and one of his rivals dropped out in a speech minutes before
Blumenthal’s address.

But the race for the Connecticut Senate seat changed
dramatically with a report by The New York Times this week that suggested
Blumenthal misled the public over his service during the Vietnam era.

Video unearthed in the Times story showed Blumenthal
referring to his time spent in Vietnam, when he actually served in the United
States.

Blumenthal and his campaign have fought back aggressively at
the Times piece, saying Blumenthal on many occasions accurately said that he
served stateside as a reservist in the Marine Corps and not in Vietnam.

Blumenthal’s web site includes posts noting that video where
he accurately described his service, and blaming the media for misspeaking of
his military record.

But it is clear the controversy had ushered in new
uncertainties over whether Blumenthal’s candidacy, and Republican hopes have
risen.

Wrestling executive Linda McMahon won the Republican Party’s
nomination for the Senate on Friday, but former Rep. Rob Simmons said he would
challenge McMahon in an August primary.

Simmons previously had said he would box out if he lost his
party’s nomination at the convention, but the result with McMahon was narrow,
and Simmons said a primary would ensure the party had a battle-ready candidate
for the fall.

“We just saw earlier this week what can happen to an
untested, unvetted candidate,” he said in a reference to Blumenthal.