Adviser: Blumenthal looks to refocus Conn. Senate race on issues amid Vietnam controversy

Blumenthal looks to shift race focus off Vietnam

HARTFORD, Conn. — An adviser to U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal says the Connecticut Democrat plans to refocus attention on the economy and other issues as he returns to the campaign trail amid controversy over his military service.

Sampaign consultant Marla Romash (ROH’-mash) said Wednesday that Blumenthal “very forcefully and very clearly” addressed the controversy and now wants to focus on matters important to voters.

Blumenthal, who served in the Marine Reserve, says he unintentionally “misspoke” on several occasions when he said he served “in” Vietnam. He says he meant to say he served “during” the conflict.

Romash says Blumenthal will still answer questions about his military service, but he prefers to talk about “how he’ll fight for Connecticut’s families.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The admission by Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal — one of Connecticut’s most well-known politicians — that he “misspoke” when he claimed he served in Vietnam has bolstered Republican hopes they could capture a seat once seen as a lock for Democrats.

Democrats, meanwhile, stood by the popular state attorney general, saying he had never intentionally deceived anyone about his military service as a Marine Reserve who never served outside the United States.

At a news conference Tuesday where he surrounded himself with veterans, Blumenthal said he meant to say he served “during” Vietnam instead of “in” Vietnam. He said the statements were “totally unintentional” errors that occurred only a few times out of hundreds of public appearances.

“On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service and I regret that. And I take full responsibility,” said Blumenthal, a trim, square-jawed figure with the bearing of a military man. “But I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country.”

The crisis erupted when The New York Times reported that Blumenthal had repeatedly distorted his military service. The story included quotations and a video of Blumenthal saying at a 2008 event that he had “served in Vietnam.” The newspaper also said Blumenthal intimated more than once that he was a victim of the abuse heaped on Vietnam veterans upon their return home.

A longer version of the video posted by a Republican opponent also shows Blumenthal at the beginning of his speech correctly characterizing his service by saying that he “served in the military, during the Vietnam era.”

Asked if there was pressure from her fellow Connecticut Democrats to urge Blumenthal out of the race, party chairwoman Nancy DiNardo said: “Absolutely not.”

Blumenthal is the front-runner to replace retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd, and the revelations of his misstatements come days before Democrats meet this weekend to endorse a candidate for the seat. Polls in recent days showed Blumenthal leading his GOP challengers in hypothetical head-to-head matchups by 30 to 40 percentage points.

Given the stakes for both sides — the tough environment for Democrats, and the GOP’s determination to retake control of the Senate by picking up 10 seats — the Democrats moved quickly to contain the damage, circulating videos showing the candidate being careful to portray his Vietnam service accurately.

In a televised March debate, Blumenthal stated clearly he had not actually served in Vietnam during the war when asked a question about using military force in Iran.

“People know him, they know he has a strong record of fighting for people in Connecticut for a long time,” said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic consultant in Washington. “People, I think, are forgiving.”

Dodd called Blumenthal “an honorable man who has served his state and country proudly” and “will be a great United States senator.”

Yet some Democrats acknowledged privately on Tuesday that they’re in shock by the allegations, especially so close to the convention, and are waiting to see how the situation plays out.

“I know that it’s a pretty liberal state and it’s going to take a lot to wear his poll numbers down, but I think it will be an issue for some voters and it will tighten the race up,” said Gary Rose, a political science professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.

Blumenthal, 64, received at least five military deferments that enabled him to stay out of the war between 1965 and 1970, during which time he went to Harvard, studied in England and landed a job in the Nixon White House. Once he secured a spot in the Marine Reserve, he had almost no chance of being sent to Vietnam, the newspaper reported.

Blumenthal told The Associated Press in 2002 that he had enlisted because he had a “pretty low draft number.” Records from the Marines, obtained by the AP eight years ago through a Freedom of Information Act request, said he performed no active duty, although recruits are technically on active duty while training.

With the Marines, he studied administration and was classified as an “Admin Man.” He was discharged honorably six years later, with the rank of sergeant.

One of Blumenthal’s Republican opponents, former WWE wrestling executive Linda McMahon, claimed to have given video of the Norwalk event to the Times after more than two months of “deep, persistent” research.

The Times refused to comment on its sources.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it was not surprised that McMahon’s campaign “cherry-picked” the quotes, “considering all of the debauchery” at the WWE under her watch. DiNardo, the state party chairwoman, called the accusations “the lowest kind of political smear.”

Blumenthal is widely known for his dedication to veterans issues, attending numerous funerals and military sendoffs. He has spoken at hundreds of events, many times about the mistreatment veterans received after returning from Vietnam. Blumenthal is also known as a straight-arrow and a man of integrity.

“People are going to look at him differently,” said John Feehery, a GOP consultant in Washington. “For someone like him it’s even worse, because he’s got this squeaky-clean image.”

Blumenthal received draft deferments while attending Harvard, completing a fellowship in England, working on a project at The Washington Post and serving as an aide to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then President Richard Nixon’s adviser on urban affairs.

Blumenthal bristled at the way the Times characterized his military record, saying the story “really implies that there was kind of special favors or treatment involved in my entering the reserves, which is in fact completely untrue.” He said he joined the Reserve by looking it up in the phone book and calling, and added that there were no guarantees that he wouldn’t be sent to Vietnam.

“A lot of people were making different choices during that period. Some people decided not to serve. I could have continued in the White House with a deferment,” he said. “I wanted to move on with my life. I wanted to serve the country, and I’m proud of the fact that I made that decision and served and reached the rank of sergeant in the Marine Corps reserves.”

Veterans who stood behind him at the podium at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in West Hartford said Blumenthal’s commitment was without question.

“I’m here today because I couldn’t let these malicious, deceptive charges against my good friend Dick go unanswered,” said Peter Galgano, a spokesman for the Marine Corps League of Connecticut. Galgano said he had seen Blumenthal speak at dozens of veterans events and he was always “completely straightforward about his honorable service.”

Another Republican opponent, former Rep. Rob Simmons, a Vietnam veteran, said he had not heard Blumenthal make any misstatements, but added: “He owes an apology to those whose service he has undeservedly capitalized on for his own political purposes.”

Associated Press writers Liz Sidoti and Andrew Miga in Washington and Pat Eaton-Robb and David Collins in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.