It has been a busy couple of days for potential Senate candidates on the Daily Rundown. On the show this morning, former Comptroller General David Walker indicated he is inching toward a run for U.S. Senate from the state of Connecticut. He told Chuck on the show that other have urged him to run, saying, "People have been asking me to run for office for many years and I'm thinking about it."
The Fall 2012 race will be for the seat of long-time Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who announced back in January he will not seek re-election at the end of his term.
Walker added that the reason for his potential run would be the gravity of the policy decisions Washington will make in the next five years. Walker: "The fact of the matter is that decisions are made or failed to be made by our elected officials in the next 5 years are largely going to determine if our future is better than our past."
Walker headed the General Accounting Office as Comptroller General under Presidents Bush and Clinton, holding the office from 1998 to 2008. He left the GAO in 2008 to head the Peter J. Peterson Foundation as President and CEO. He recently left the Peterson Foundation to start the Comeback America Initiative, a project aimed at promoting certain fiscally responsible policy solutions.
Chaffetz in Utah 2012?
Walker wasn't the only Rundown guest this week who might show up on a Senate ballot next Fall. Conservative Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah's 3rd District, said he's a "definite maybe" for a run to challenge six-term Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. Hatch faces Tea Party opposition from the right, especially over his TARP vote that is wildly unpopular with Utah republicans.
When Chuck asked Chaffetz if he is satisfied with Hatch's moves to prove his conservative credentials, Chaffetz responded, "no I don't. That's why I'm considering running against him."
Here's Chaffetz yesterday on Rundown:
Chaffetz's comments come as the Salt Lake Tribune reported today that the pro-business Club for Growth said they will back Chaffetz if he decides to challenge Hatch for the Republican nomination next year. If Michael Bennet's loss last cycle to conservative primary challenger Mike Lee is any indication, Chaffetz could prove a very tough match come next year.
Whether it's Chaffetz or Walker, political followers are apt to see the nascent beginnings of the Senate fields we will be following a year from now.