Congressman Chris Murphy appeared on stage in Hartford with  Barack Obama in 2008.

                                                  By John Murray

   Former President Bill Clinton is coming to Waterbury Sunday afternoon to campaign for Congressman Chris Murphy’s bid for the United States Senate. Clinton is blasting across the country like a heated neuron campaigning for the re-election of Barack Obama and helping the Democratic Party in their attempt to recapture control of the United States Congress. Tuesday night Clinton was speaking at a rally for five Democratic candidates for Congress in Irving, California, and some days the former president is speaking at multiple rallies per day.

   Congressman Murphy’s opponent, Linda McMahon, brought in her own “big gun” Monday afternoon when popular New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to Waterbury to speak at a campaign rally inside the Howland-Hughes Center on Bank Street.

   Can these high profile visits effect the outcome of the campaign? Ask Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy who trailed Republican Tom Foley by 3% points the day before the 2010 election. Malloy won by a fistful of votes and Bridgeport, where President Barack Obama had visited days before, was the key to his victory. Clearly these visits can be game changers.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stumped for Linda McMahon Monday afternoon.

   When the big guns come to town the intent isn’t to change minds, because the voters on both sides are dug in at this late stage in the campaign, the real mission is to fire up the base and get them working hard in the final weeks of a close election. It’s about motivation and passion. Governor Christie spent a good portion of his speech Monday afternoon pleading with the die-hard to work tirelessly in the final two weeks to get Linda McMahon elected. Christie, a former prosecutor, laid out several closing arguments for voters to use on their neighbors and friends to convince them to vote for McMahon.

   Expect the counter points from Bill Clinton on Sunday afternoon in Library Park in downtown Waterbury. Clinton will make an impassioned plea for Chris Murphy that Democrats hope will push the congressman into the United States Senate. Waterbury is the center of the 5th Congressional District that Murphy has represented for the past six years. That Bill Clinton is speaking in a Murphy stronghold is no coincidence – his appearance is targeted at Murphy’s base. 

   Clinton will be in Waterbury at 3 pm, on October 28th, and tickets to the free event are available at www.chrismurphy.com