2008 Presidential Election Coverage

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Christopher John Dodd

Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician from Willimantic, Connecticut. He is a member of the Democratic Party, served as U. S. Representative from Connecticut, and is currently a U. S. Senator from Connecticut. He has been the state's senior Senator since 1989 and is a candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Dodd was born in Willimantic, Connecticut to Irish-American parents, Grace Mary Murphy and Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd; all eight of his great-grandparents were born in Ireland. Dodd attended Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit boys school in Bethesda, Maryland. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966, Dodd served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small rural town in the Dominican Republic until 1968. After leaving the Peace Corps, Dodd joined U.S. Army Reserve, where he would stay until 1975. In July 1970, he married Susan Mooney. They later divorced in October, 1982. In 1972, Dodd earned a J.D. at the University of Louisville, where he served as vice president of the law school's student body. The following year, he was admitted to the Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London. Dodd married Jackie Marie Clegg in June 1999.

He is also the godfather of actress/singer Christy Carlson Romano, who once interned in his office. His brother, Thomas J. Dodd Jr., is an emeritus professor of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, and served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Costa Rica under president Bill Clinton.

Dodd lives in East Haddam when Congress is not in session, is fluent in Spanish, and is a Latin Rite Catholic. His wife is Jackie Marie Clegg. She held high posts at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The couple has two daughters, Grace and Christina, ages 5 and 2 years old.

In 1974, Dodd was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district. He was reelected twice, serving from January 4, 1975 to January 3, 1981. During his tenure in the U.S. House, he served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Dodd was elected to the U.S. Senate in the 1980 election and was subsequently reelected in the 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 elections. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms. From 1995 to 1997, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As General Chairman, Dodd was the DNC's spokesman. Donald Fowler served as National Chairman, running the party's day to day operations.

Dodd had been rumored to be strongly considering a run for Governor of Connecticut in 2006. He decided not to seek this post. Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign. He was also considered a possible candidate for replacing Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader in 109th Congress, but he declined, and that position was instead filled by Harry Reid. Dodd has been a long time supporter of tort reform measures.

Senator Dodd has announced in a letter to the Federal Election Commission that he is no longer a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010. This is deemed as insignificant since this decision can be reversed and is pursuant to the law in order for him to transfer his funds from a Senate campaign to a presidential campaign.

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