Although Simmons has a national profile, the result is still pretty hard to call.
It's not a conventional political career path, but then the man who's forging it is hardly known for following conventions.
Rob Simmons, former Second District Representative in the U.S. House, is standing for First Selectman in his home town of Stonington (population 18,000 or so).
Ask him why he's doing it, and he'll always give you the same answer. "I love my town," said Simmons.
His presence in the race may be one factor driving unusually high turnout. With just an hour of voting left, two of the town's polling districts, including its most populous, are reporting turnout breaking 39 percent. That's a record in recent years.
Republican Simmons feels the town was ill-served by the recent tenure of Ed Haberek, a Democrat who left town under a cloud after a sexting scandal and a number of expensive lawsuits. Haberek was succeeded as First Selectman by George Crouse, his former running mate, who was appointed after Haberek's resignation, and is now running to be elected to his own first term.
And while Simmons has all the name recognition and the national profile, the result is still pretty hard to call. Crouse served for more than 30 years as a teacher in the Stonington school system, and he coaches a highly successful girls' tennis team at the town's high school, so he's known and loved by several generations in town.
Add to that this town's Democratic leanings, and Simmons has taken on another tough fight -- something he's rarely shied away from in his long political life.
