State Senator Lou DeLuca’s departure will require a special election in January. Those of us who like to keep tabs on these things expected the Special to pit DeLuca’s anointed successor - Watertown State Rep Sean Williams - against a to-be-named opponent (Bethlehem Democratic State Central Committeeman Ken Curran is rumored to be seriously considering a run). But this week things got kinda weird.

Williams stood with DeLuca at the podium as DeLuca made his announcement, an understandable (even admirable) display of personal loyalty one might say. But then, Williams publicly stated that he will not run for the seat in January, which is strange enough, but is rumored to have also said that if DeLuca chose to run again, he would fully support him.

Um, HUH? I’m looking for press confirmation of that statement, so maybe it isn’t true.

Other explanations include the possibility that State Rep Art O’Neill (Southbury. Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington) – who has seniority, and was the Republican co-chairman of the bi-partisan ten-member Select Committee of Inquiry investigating Governor Rowland in 2004 – wants to take a crack. This makes sense because O’Neill wouldn’t have to give up his State Rep seat to run, and is arguably a stronger candidate than his junior from Watertown (Williams is clearly on the Republican short list for Statewide office or Washington DC).

Yet Rep. Williams’ refusal to call for the Senator’s resignation and to distance himself from his political, uh, godfather won’t wear well, particularly if – and this is definitely just a rumor – Lou actually intends to take his case to the voters in January. He won (re-election to Town Meeting Moderator) last week in Woodbury, so why not, right? Is Lou contemplating – in the new tradition of Utah Senator Larry Craig - a phoenix-like transcendence of the rule of law and the will of his peers? State Chair Chris Healy was with him at the podium, too.

DeLuca’s statement in Hartford suggests not. Maybe Rep. Williams just doesn’t want to be jumping into DeLuca’s chair while it is still warm. But if neither Lou nor Art nor Sean is running in January, then who might be the Republican candidate?