Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan from North Dakota has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2010. His retirement from the Senate was announced yesterday.
It is expected that Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut will announce his retirement today as he is not expected to seek re-election in 2010.
At the present time Democrats hold 60 seats in the Senate. The loss of a single seat in the upcoming election will create a greater struggle for the Democrats to push through any partisan legislation. Dorgan’s seat will be up for grabs while in all probability the seat held by five-term Connecticut Senator Dodd will be filled by a Democrat.
Dorgan, the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, said Tuesday he reached his decision after discussing his future with family over the holidays.
Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut
“Although I still have a passion for public service and enjoy my work in the Senate, I have other interests and I have other things I would like to pursue outside of public life,” said Dorgan, 67.
The move stunned Democrats.
Senator Dodd recently came under fire for accepting what some have called a special deal with Countrywide Financial for the financing on his home. He would face stiff competition in any upcoming election.
Dodd, 66, is chairman of Senate Banking Committee, which was at the center of efforts to deal with the economic meltdown. And he has played a prominent role in the debate over overhauling health care, taking over for his friend Ted Kennedy during his illness and then after his death. Dodd underwent surgery for prostate cancer in August; he said it was in an early, treatable stage.
The senator also has drawn criticism for his role in writing a bill that protected bonuses for executives at bailed-out insurer American International Group Inc. and for allegations he got favorable treatment on mortgages with Countrywide Financial Corp.
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