Down the Homestretch: Connecticut’s 4th District (GOP Incumbent)

Washington Wire takes a look at what’s at stake in key House races. Easha Anand reports on the 2008 elections. The Situation: You want to know where the Wall Street meltdown really hits home? It’s in Connecticut’s 4th District, a wealthy area where the big-name hedge funds cluster and average home prices along Route 1 exceed $1 million. That means Rep. Chris Shays ’s vote for the financial rescue package is front and center. Democrat Jim Himes says his time on Wall Street give him an edge in sorting out the financial crisis, but Shays has two decades of House experience behind him. The Republican: Rep. Chris Shays has had a lot of “firsts” in Congress. He was the first Republican to call for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and the first Republican to call for disgraced Rep. Tom DeLay ’s resignation. Long derided as a RINO (Republican in Name Only) by colleagues, Shays’ pro-choice, pro-gun control and pro-gay rights ... (link)