Rob Simmons, a former moderate Republican US representative from Connecticut, is seeking the nomination to challenge embattled Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat.

In other Northeast states, too, Republicans see opportunities: Representative Mike Castle, a Republican, is running for the Delaware Senate seat once held by Vice President Joe Biden, and moderates are lining up for runs in upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

“We aren’t going to win back the majority without fighting hard in the Northeast, and we intend to do it,’’ said Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who hopes to pick up a half-dozen or more seats in the region…

[I]n next year’s congressional election, Republicans believe they can regain ground in districts that have historically prided themselves on their Yankee independence and self-sufficiency. In the Granite State, GOP candidates could well win back both congressional seats and the open Senate seat, said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.