LEWISTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut will deliver the keynote speech at the Maine Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner at the Lewiston Armory.

Dodd, an unsuccessful candidate for the party’s presidential nomination, is a former Democratic national chairman. He is also chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

“We are honored that Senator Dodd, one of the nation’s most respected voices on economic issues, will join us in Lewiston, especially in a year when the economy is likely to be the central issue in Mainers’ minds when they go to the voting booth in November,” said Arden Manning, the party’s executive director.

Dodd graduated from Providence College and joined the Peace Corps, serving in the Dominican Republic. A lawyer, he practiced in New London, Conn., before being elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and to the Senate in 1980.

The Jefferson-Jackson event will be Sept. 20. It is traditionally Maine Democrats’ largest gathering of the year.