WASHINGTON - After nearly 30 years as a U.S. senator from Connecticut, Christopher Dodd says he will not run for re-election later this year.

Speaking from his Connecticut home Wednesday, Dodd said he made the decision two weeks ago, and admitted he was, in his words, in the toughest shape of his political career.

He also cited the deaths of his sister and of his close friend Senator Ted Kennedy and his own battle with prostate cancer - all in the past year - as contributing to his decision.

Dodd, who also served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, was facing a difficult re-election campaign.  As chairmen of the Senate Banking Committee, he co-authored unpopular financial industry bailout programs and was linked to a controversial low-rate VIP mortgage program, all which caused his popularity to plummet last year. 

Dodd’s announcement comes one day after fellow Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan from North Dakota said he will not seek re-election.

There are currently 58 Democrats in the U.S. Senate and two independents who usually vote with the Democrats, giving Democrats a 60-vote majority. That majority allows Democrats to bypass opposition Republican procedural tactics that can delay legislation, sometimes indefinitely.

Senate Democrats recently used their 60-vote majority to pass President Barack Obama’s health care reform initiatives.

Like Dodd, polls showed Dorgan was facing a tough re-election campaign, trailing potential Republican contender and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven.

Source:  VOA News