Source: Shays will join race for 2012 GOP Senate nomination

WASHINGTON--Republican Chris Shays is gearing up to run for Connecticut's open U.S. Senate seat, a source familiar with the former congressman's plans said Wednesday. Shays plans to make his bid official in the coming weeks, and he will make a full-fledged run regardless of whether other possible GOP contenders, including Linda McMahon, also join the race.

 

Shays has encouraged speculation about his political future before, most recently during the run-up to the 2010 gubernatorial race. But this time, he appears definitive about his plans.

 

"Before the end of the month, no one will have any doubt" about Shays' intentions, the source said.

 

The former 4th District congressman is currently based in suburban Washington, where he serves as co-chairman of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. That panel was created to ferret out government waste in military contracting, and its final report to Congress is due at the end of this month.

 

That would free up Shays, who bought a condo in Bridgeport with his wife last year, to focus on what would surely be a grueling campaign. The source familiar with Shays' plans said he does not intend to seek other work, but will campaign full-time.

 

Shays could be could be a political wildcard, especially since the GOP field has yet to take shape. But for now, all eyes remain focused on Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO who dumped $50 million into a failed 2010 Senate bid.

 

McMahon has said she's seriously considering a second Senate run, and she was recently in Washington, where she met with retiring Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the politician she may try to succeed. The two talked about national security issues, according to one source familiar with the session, a sign that she may be beefing up for a race.

 

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