Alan Schlesinger
Lieberman Still Up, Comfortably
In the Oct. 20th Q poll, Lieberman led Lamont 52-35%.
Lieberman leads Lamont among likely Republican voters (73-6), Democratic voters (56-37) and among independent voters (51-36).
Q pollster Douglas Schwartz said Lamont's hopes of victory are, unfortunately, tied to Schlesinger.
"For Ned Lamont to catch Sen. Joseph Lieberman, he needs Alan Schlesinger to break out of single digits and take away Republican votes from Lieberman."
What are the odds of that?
-- Azi PaybarahMore Drama in CT?
As Horowitz reported before the weekend, a potentially more credible - and wealthier -- Republican is doing his best to make it known that he will jump into the race if Schlesinger can be persuaded to drop out.
Today, that wealthy Republican, Jack Orchetti, told Greg Sargent that he'd be willing to spend at least $1.5 million of his own money on a three-way race against Lieberman and Ned Lamont, but he essentially set a two week time limit for getting into the contest.
"If Schlesinger doesn't step down within two weeks," he said, "it'll be too late."
Until now, Schlesinger has shown no indication of heeding calls from within his party to drop out. But I have a feeling the Lamont people are keeping their fingers crossed.
-- Josh BensonA Republican Headache for Lieberman?
No one is happier about Alan Schlesinger, the hapless Republican candidate in the three-way race for Joe Lieberman's seat in Connecticut, than Joe Lieberman.
The incumbent senator, after all, is counting on the support of Republicans as well as independents and moderate Democrats to beat Ned Lamont in the general election. And having credible Republican in the race -- which Schlesinger, forgive us for saying, is not -- could siphon a serious number of votes from Lieberman's "independent Democrat" candidacy.
So... remember Jack Orchulli?
He's the well-connected multi-millionaire and former partner of the fashion designer Michael Kors who ran and lost against Chris Dodd in the 2004 Senate race. Orchulli did manage to draw a third of the vote in that Senate campaign two years ago -- a handy number to keep in mind in a three-way race-- and has the ability to raise a lot of money very quickly.
Orchulli told us late yesterday that he's already been approached by state Republicans about replacing the hapless Alan Schlesinger as the G.O.P. nominee in the Connecticut Senate Race -- and that he'd "make himself available" to do it.
"Should the party decide that they want me, and should Mr. Schlesinger decide that he wants to step aside, I would make myself available to them," said Mr.Orchulli. "If I was in it, it would undercut the perception that Mr. Lieberman has the Republicans, and it would change the dynamic of this whole race."
And though the Times wrote after the election that Republicans hadn't much idea about a credible alternative candidate, Orchulli, at least, sees it differently. read more »
"The funds would be there," he said. "There is personal money, and people have expressed interest in raising money." So can Orchulli possible be the guy? Or does all the praise of Lieberman by the Republican leadership, including Karl Rove, suggest that they have something else in mind?
--Jason HorowitzUS $ in Connecticut
We dropped a line to the other guy in the race, Alan Schlesinger, a Republican and asked him where his contributors came from.
"Mine are all in state except for about $1,000," said Schlesinger, 'It's a national race. This is all about big money manipulating the race."
--Jason Horowitz
