There are, at the last count, nine Senate candidates so far. It's interesting to note that, of the five Republicans tossing their respective hats into the ring, only two are white males. Irrespective of race, if the doggerel can be believed, the Republican nomination may come down to who is the most of an "outsider candidate."
Linda McMahon has been positioning herself that way from the start, as far back as 2009 when she faced Sam Caligiuri and Rob Simmons for the seat she is again seeking this year.
Brian K. Hill is also positioning himself as the outsider candidate, though he distances himself from the likes of McMahon by pointing out how very rich she is, and suggesting that her wealth, however self-made it may have been, makes her more of an insider than an outsider. Hill is an African American, military-trained lawyer.
Then there's Peter Lumaj, whose website asks the question many voters will come Election Day: "Who is Peter Lumaj?"
Lumaj was "born and raised in Communist Albania," so we are told, though he has since emigrated, learned English and become an attorney.
You don't get much more outsider than that.
It's only the two Caucasians who have had any real previous experience as an elected official which, for the purposes of this exercise, is a bad thing. Jason McCoy was mayor of Vernon, and Chris Shays was, as we all know, a long-time U.S. representative.
For fun, here's a little test to see if you have the outsider cred to run for office and, maybe, win.
Let's figure out your OCI (Outsider Candidate Index). Everybody starts out with 10 points. The candidate with the most points wins.
- If you are a minority, add two points.
- If you were born in another country, add two points.

- Look at the chart above. Find out where you fit on the chart and subtract the corresponding number of points.
- If you are "Ready for a change in government," add half of one point.
- If you are funding your own campaign, subtract three points.
Congratulations! You've just discovered your OCI! Good luck on Election Day!