U.S. Senate hopeful and Greenwich author Lee Whitnum announced today that she is leaving the Connecticut Democratic Party but will continue to run for retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman's seat in the upcoming November election on a yet-to-be determined ticket.
In an emailed statement, Whitnum said she was severing ties with the party because Democrats Gov. Dannel Malloy and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy are "lying to the people to pander to the ultra conservative branch of the Jewish community."
"I've had enough, I'm leaving the Connecticut Democratic Party," Whitnum said. "I can't be in a party where the two of the highest representative in the party namely Governor Malloy and Congressman Murphy lie to the people about the real reason why we went to the Iraq war. Pandering to a constituent group is not leadership."
Whitnum made headlines and in April for during a televised debate that was broadcast on NBC Connecticut.
In her closing remarks, Whitnum sharply criticized Rep. Murphy over his pro-Israel stance, saying, “I’m dealing with a whore here who sells his soul to AIPAC [The American Israel Public Affairs Committee], who will say anything for the job.”
Whitnum also referred to state Rep. William Tong as “ignorant” as she ran out of time in the live televised event.
As a result, Malloy called for Whitnum to be .
In March it was announced that Gov. Malloy had been as a result of a lawsuit she had brought regarding statements made during the 2010 election.
