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Himes Carves Out Center As Debicella Seeks Clear Message, Prof Says

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, is so conscious of his reputation as a centrist that he wrote to Gary Rose to politely contest the political science professor's characterization of him as a liberal.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., at left, is facing a challenge from Republican Dan Debicella in the race for the U.S. Fourth District.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., at left, is facing a challenge from Republican Dan Debicella in the race for the U.S. Fourth District.

Photo Credit: File Photo

"He was suggesting I review my perception of him," Rose said with a laugh of the book he wrote using the L-word. 

"Jim is a very astute politician," said Rose, chairman of the Department of Government and Politics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield and a well-known analyst of local Connecticut politics. "I think he figured out the lay of the land in the 4th District."

Himes is seeking his fourth consecutive term in the U.S. House since he rode anti-Iraq War fervor to knock off Republican incumbent Chris Shays back in 2008. 

Himes is facing a challenge this year from Republican Dan Debicella, who lost to Himes in the 2010 contest.

Despite the return match-up, Debicella has failed to gain traction so far in the campaign, Rose said.

"He is a very sharp guy, but is there a message?" the professor said. 

So far, Debicella has not been able to craft a message that has thrown Himes on the defensive, Rose said.

Debicella, who was born in Bridgeport, is now a resident of Shelton and served as a state Senator. He holds a degree in finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and an MBA from Harvard Business School and works at Bridgewater, a Westport hedge fund.

Himes has been able to win in a district with a strong Republican base, including Himes' own hometown of Greenwich, by carefully positioning himself as a centrist, Rose said.

"He knows how to speak the language of Wall Street. He can also speak Spanish in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford," he said about Himes, who is fluent in Spanish and also worked for Goldman Sachs.

"He is perceived as a very centrist Democrat. Chris Shays was perceived as a very centrist Republican," Rose said about the man Himes ousted in 2008. "Himes is right where the district is."

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