Dodd draws Democratic Senate challenger

HARTFORD, Conn., May 18 (UPI) -- A Mystic, Conn., man says he's challenging U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd for the Democratic nomination for Dodd's Senate seat.

Merrick Alpert indicated on his Web site Sunday that he was preparing to file official papers with the Federal Election Commission to make a run against Dodd, The Hartford Courant reported.

"Like many of you, I've lost faith in Senator Dodd," Alpert said in a Web video. "He doesn't represent Connecticut's values anymore. If you want a senator who lives here in Connecticut, and if you want a senator who represents a fundamental change from the culture of corruption in Washington, my name is Merrick Alpert."

Alpert's Web site indicated he worked for the 1990 Connecticut gubernatorial campaign of William Cibes as well as for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, and served as an adviser to Oklahoma Gov. David Walters in the early 1990s, the Courant said.

Merrick says he lives in Mystic with his wife and two young children and is a member of the Groton Democratic Town Committee.