C’est Damage. Sam Caligiuri Looks at Run for Republican State Chairman.
Zut alors! Former Waterbury state senator and 201o Republican congressional candidate Sam Caligiuri is considering a bid to become Connecticut’s Republican state chairman, Daily Ructions has learned. The former Rowland administration official is said to have made calls to members of the Republican State Central Committee to gauge his support for the job. Caligiuri served several months as Waterbury’s mayor in 2001 after fellow Republican Philip Giordano was arrested for a raft of horrifying crimes. A lawyer, Caligiuri, won a seat in the state Senate in 2006, succeeding Christopher Murphy, who was elected to Congress that year.
Caligiuri won a narrow victory over Justin Bernier and Mark Greenberg in last August’s Republican primary for the 5th District but began his race against Murphy with his campaign treasury bare. Though Republican hopes were high for a win in the 5th, Murphy administered a drubbing to Caligiuri, who lost Waterbury to the Cheshire Democrat. A month ago, Caligiuri announced he would not run for Congress in 2012, preferring to spend time with his family.
Caligiuri began his run for Congress after immediately abandoning a race for the 2010 Republican nomination for the United States Senate.
11 comments
Rennie obviously has an agenda against Sam. His constance French references are just plain immature and juvenile. I commend Sam for not lowering himself to this level. Sam is a man of honor, dignity, and class.
Sam would be an outstanding choice to be the Chair of CT Republicans or any other project to which he chooses to devote his considerable talents. Rennie is just a bitter man.
It’s high time for the CT GOP to reach outside of it’s insider ranks to select the next chairman of the party. If the CTGOP is serious about winning, Tom Scott is the man!
Sam is the prototype politician who is only interested in himself. My dealings with him have completely turned me off to him.
Tom Foley won the 5th and Sam lost by about the same amount Foley won. Sam only got the Republican nomination because Greenberg and Bernier were in the race. I strongly suspect Sam would have lost by 20 points (the sum of the other two’s totals) had it been 1 on 1.
To CT Conservative, how about using your real name. I see no bias from Kevin against Sam. Typical of political insiders to swipe at someone and not be man enough to id yourself.
Sean, you make Kevin sound like a Sam cheerleader. Personally, I think Sam might be too high minded to do partisan bomb throwing, but for some other posts that might be a feature, not a bug.
And the idea that Bernier (little money) or Greenberg (little time in district) were materially better choices than Caligiuri seems weakly based.
Mark Greenberg has lived in Litchfield for over 20 years – a significantly greater amount of time than Chris Murphy has. TO state that Greenberg has too little time in the district is wrong.
It is well known that Rennie is bitter and jealous of Sam. Sam could tell the full story but he is too much of a gentleman to get into the mud. Sam is a classy guy and it is beneath him to get into tit for tat sniping.
The reason Sam lost is because Murphy outspent him 3-1 with special interests and union money. This will not be the case with Mark Greenberg. Justin could’t raise two dimes and a nickle. Mark Greenberg will not run short of funds like Sam did last cycle.
“Sam is the prototype politician who is only interested in himself.”
You obviously do not know Sam. Your statement is about 180 degrees off base. Note that Sam chose his family over the opportunity to run for an open seat. That doesn’t sound like someone who cares only for himself.
My understanding was Greenberg lived in New York until about 8 years ago. I’m sorry, there’s something arriviste about him. maybe its’ cause my family left NY 45 years ago. And please, let’s not use Chris “Bieber” Murphy as the bar people have to exceed.
CT conservative is probably Sam.
That put us over the top. The moment capped a sometimes-nasty race between a conservative Republican and a Democrat considered a political liberal by some but who described himself as occupying the pragmatic center of the political spectrum.
Sam would be a breath of fresh air to the CT Republican party. I would be so happy to see him in that capacity!
Sam was an electoral disaster in 2010 and would deliver the same performance as party chairman. Sam lost Avon, the only Republican to manage that feat, even Jack Orchulli won in Avon. Sam got his ass kicked twice in the most Republican year this country has seen in 15 years, first in the Senate race where despite being the first candidate to declare, he got absolutely no traction, then when he decided to go pick on the little kids in the 5th district, managed to barely win the primary (didn’t even break 40%) against two nobodies then got his ass kicked in November by Chris Murphy who defines the term smarmy politician.