PAWCATUCK - In a trip the length of which parallels his odds against an entrenched Senate incumbent, Democrat Merrick Alpert started his 117-mile walk across Connecticut in the dawn of Tuesday morning from the Westerly-Pawcatuck Bridge.

The Mystic resident is challenging his fellow Democrat, Sen. Christopher Dodd, who was elected in 1980 and who has held his seat for five consecutive terms. The primary for the seat is Aug. 10, 2010, with the general election following on Nov. 2.

Alpert, a former Air Force officer and Army National Guard member, said in light of Dodd's votes for more troop deployments and the more than $20 million he had received in campaign contributions from financial institutions since 1980, change was needed.

"When we have someone in office who's been there longer than Moses was with the Israelites, that's a problem," Alpert said. "I think the career politicians have no idea about modern warfare. We're in the midst of that disaster right now. ... I think we're doing a horrible disservice by sending people [to Afghanistan]. I can't explain to any Connecticut parent why their son or daughter is being sent there."

Alpert started his walk from the bridge at 6:35 a.m. Tuesday morning, carrying the American flag, as three supporters clad in black and white t-shirts with the slogan "End Afghan War" and a yellow dog named Tennessee followed along.

Alpert said he would be following Route 1 along the southern border of Connecticut, walking about 25 to 30 miles each day. He planned on ending Tuesday's walk at about 2 p.m. on the Waterford and Old Lyme border, and resuming there 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. He will finish 1 p.m. Saturday in Greenwich at the New York border.

A graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and the Georgetown University Law Center, Alpert got his first taste of politics in 1992, according to his bio, serving as a delegate for President Bill Clinton. Following the election, he worked as a member of the advance team for Vice President Al Gore and a policy advisor to Oklahoma Governor David Walters.

In 1998 and 1999, he completed his military service by serving as an Air Force officer in Bosnia, helping to establish free and fair elections in the area. He also served as a judge advocate general, commonly known as a J.A.G., for the Army.

Alpert stressed repeatedly Tuesday that career politicians like Dodd had no practical war experience, and the expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan were contributing to the national debt. He said he decided to run after seeing the continual troop buildup in Afghanistan.

"[Dodd's] voted over and over to fund the war," Alpert said. "We're not any safer for it. We don't have that money anymore either - we've poured it into the sand."

Alpert added that this money could have been used to support private sector job growth. Instead, he accused Dodd of being in the pocket of financial institutions.

"It's impossible to protect Connecticut citizens when you're on the payroll for big banking institutions," he said.

According to OpenSecrets Web site, a non-partisan organization that tracks campaign contributions, Dodd has received more than $46 million since 1989. His largest corporate contributor for the 2005 to 2010 election cycle is Citigroup at $265,694, and $3.8 million of the $7.4 million total is classified as from securities and investment companies.

Although Dodd is seen as vulnerable in the 2010 election year because of his close ties to the banking industry, the established senator has a large lead on Alpert in polling done by Quinnipiac University.

According to a survey released on Sept. 17 of 931 registered Connecticut voters, Dodd is projected to win the Democrat primary by a wide margin - 56 percent to 13 percent. Dodd is projected to lose to Republican challenger and former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, 44 percent to 39 percent.

However, Alpert hoped his walk would increase his visibility. According to the same poll, 96 percent of voters hadn't heard enough about his policies to give him a favorable or unfavorable rating.

Alpert laughed when asked if he could handle his walk across the state. He said he runs every day, and has completed eight marathons. He got the idea from memories of newsreels of Martin Luther King Jr.

"This is a grassroots campaign," he said. "This is obviously not something a focus group tells you to do."