Shays officially announces Conn. Senate bid (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? Former Connecticut U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays is making it official and announcing he is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

Shays made his announcement Wednesday at the Old State House in downtown Hartford. About 200 people attended.

Shays said he wants to put "the country back on track and our fellow Americans back to work."

He represented Connecticut's 4th Congressional District in Congress from 1987 until 2009. His congressional career ended after he lost to Democrat Jim Himes in 2008.

Shays' top competition for the GOP endorsement is wealthy former wrestling executive Linda McMahon. There are three other Republicans and three Democrats also hoping to fill the seat now held by the retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_el_se/us_connecticut_senate

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