Mr. Dodd, 65, a pivotal figure in the major debates now confronting Congress, is to announce his decision at a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Connecticut…<\/font><\/p>\n …The developments underscored the fragility of the Democrats\u2019 60-vote Senate majority, which is just enough to block Republican filibusters. Democratic incumbents also face serious challenges in Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada and Pennsylvania among other states.<\/font><\/p>\n In this case, Mr. Dodd was already considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats facing re-election this November, and party officials had been privately hoping he would step aside. His move opens the way for the state\u2019s highly popular attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, to run. Democrats and Republicans said he would be a much stronger candidate in what is a Democratic state\u2026<\/font><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Inserted from <NY Times<\/a>><\/p>\n I look at Dodd\u2019s resignation as more of an opportunity than a loss. Dodd\u2019s support for banksters over the American people will not be missed. Now we have a chance to replace him with a genuine progressive.<\/p>\n I would like to do some teaching and would also like to work on energy policy in the private sector. <\/font><\/p>\n So, over this holiday season, I have come to the conclusion, with the support of my family, that I will not be seeking another term in the U.S. Senate in 2010. It is a hard decision to make after thirty years in the Congress, but I believe it is the right time for me to pursue these other interests.<\/font><\/p>\n Let me be clear that this decision does not relate to any dissatisfaction that I have about serving in the Senate. Yes, I wish there was less rancor and more bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate these days. But still, it is a great privilege to serve and I have the utmost respect for all of the men and women with whom I serve.<\/font><\/p>\n Dorgan is perhaps most remembered for his prescience in predicting the negative consequences of repealing the Glass-Steagall financial regulatory reforms, which broke down the barriers between investment and depository banking. Upon passage of the bill in 1999, Dorgan predicted, \u201cI think we will look back in 10 years\u2019 time and say we should not have done this but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930\u2019s is true in 2010.\u201d Watch it:<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>![\"Dodd\"](\"http:\/\/s217.photobucket.com\/albums\/cc83\/TomCat1948or2\/Blog%202010\/J-M\/BreakingTwoKeySenatorsSteppingDown_2612\/Dodd.jpg\" "\\"Dodd\\"")
<\/a> Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the embattled Connecticut Democrat who was facing an increasingly tough bid for a sixth term in the United States Senate, has decided not to seek re-election this year, Democrats familiar with his plans said Wednesday.<\/font><\/p>\n\n
<\/a> In a<\/font> statement released this afternoon<\/a>, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced that he will not be running for re-election:<\/font><\/p>\n