I must admit that the first news I received that Gov. Rell had decided not to run for re-election came in a press release from Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy.

I thank the Governor for her years of public service to the State of Connecticut, and I wish her and her family all the best.

We now know that Connecticut will have a new Governor in January of 2011.

You have to hand it to Mayor Malloy's team for being quick on the response and ever gracious.

The first place I went to get the full breaking news story was CTNewsJunkie. Sure enough, ten minutes earlier Christine had the story up. Of course the serious political junkies at MyLeftNutmeg had been talking about this for half an hour and the folks at CT Local Politics were gearing up for the discussion.

Three minutes after potential gubernatorial hopeful Mayor Malloy sent out his press release, a release came from as yet announced gubernatorial hopeful Senate President Williams.

Gov. Rell should be thanked for her years of public service and work on behalf of Connecticut residents. I wish her and her family well as they begin the next chapter of their lives. In the meantime, the best thing we can do for the next governor - whoever it is - is to work together to grow jobs and help stabilize our economy.

Two minutes later, Connecticut Democratic Party Chair Nancy DiNardo sent off her comments:

I thank Governor Rell for her service and wish her the best. It's not an easy time to be a governor, and it's clear that Connecticut needs - and deserves - a chief executive who goes to bed every night and wakes up every day thinking about innovative and unique ideas to get this state and its people through arguably the most difficult economic climate in a generation. I feel confident that our bench of candidates for this position will bring to the table the kind of ideas and proposals that Connecticut voters will be able to relate to and have confidence in. This is good news for our party, and the people of this state.

Yet it took over an hour before the ripple was heard in Washington where Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, announced

Connecticut voters are looking for a leader with a vision for the future, an understanding of the economic hardships families face, and the courage to make the tough decisions. We are fortunate to have a strong field of Democratic candidates who are well-known public servants, each of whom has the knowledge, leadership, and judgment to guide the state through these tough economic times.

Moving Connecticut into our list of top-tier pickup opportunities means that the DGA will invest in the state to ensure a Democrat wins in 2010.

However, given the uncertainty concerning the future of the Citizens' Election Program, it is unclear what and when the Democratic Governors Association will be able to do in the race here in Connecticut.

Things just got a whole lot more interesting.