He’s been out of office for less than a month, but former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele’s name was mentioned Wednesday evening as a possible Republican contender for U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s seat.
In a phone interview Wednesday evening Fedele said he has been receiving a number of calls and emails encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate seat Lieberman announced just hours earlier that he would be giving up in 2012.
Fedele, a Stamford resident who lost the Republican gubernatorial primary to Tom Foley last August, said he was “humbled” by the response he’s received, but doesn’t plan on making an announcement anytime soon.
“We’ll keep an eye on it and see where it takes us,” Fedele said.
He said he will base his decision about whether he should get back into politics on his ability to best serve the public. “When I’ve been asked to serve I’ve done it,“ he said.
Asked if it matters who else gets into the race, Fedele said he’s never based his decision on the qualifications of other candidates in a race.
At the moment former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is the only candidate to have officially announced her intentions to run. It’s likely she would be joined on the Democratic side by U.S. Reps. Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney.
David M. Walker, the former comptroller of the United States under Presidents Clinton and Bush, has also been added to the likely candidates by The Daily Caller. Walker, who is new to Connecticut, has been associated with the “No Labels” group.
On the Republican side, former wrestling executive Linda McMahon left the door wide open to another Senate run after losing this past November. Peter Schiff, the investment banker, who did well amongst those associated with the Tea Party, has also been making noises lately about a potential bid. And then there’s Foley, who ran for former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd’s seat last year before switching over to the governor’s race, has been mentioned as a potential candidate.
Foley, the former Ambassador to Ireland, defeated Fedele in the gubernatorial primary last August.
“A number of people were disheartened by what happened in that election,” Fedele said Wednesday. “I’ve even heard from Democrats who said they would have supported me, but they couldn’t vote in the Republican primary.”
Fedele, who was unable to distance himself enough from former Gov. M. Jodi Rell and her budget policies, said he’s going to take his time thinking about a possible U.S. Senate bid.
“There’s no need to rush it,” Fedele said.
At the moment Fedele said he’s getting back work with his company the Pinnacle Group, an information technology firm he founded which now employees 100 people nationwide. He’s also getting reacquainted with his family and adjusting to a much shorter commute.