That may seem at present a tall order. Voter anger and outrage about the state of the nation, he noted, has been growing in recent years. Despite economic achievements touted by the Obama administration, Americans have suffered since the 2007-2009 recession. Many pin the blame for their woes on the financial excesses of Wall Street, a lowering of trade barriers that have ravaged industries, market pressures that have depressed wages, and the high cost of maintaining America's military footprint overseas.

These factors, combined with growing disillusionment with continuing gridlock in Washington, help to explain higher voter support for Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump--insurgent candidates whose policy positions fall outside the mainstream of their respective parties.

A Clinton victory in November would yield for the Democrats' nominee three consecutive terms in the White House--a first for the party since Roosevelt-Truman era. Dodd pinned his prediction in part on continuing economic growth and President Obama's overall approval rating, which (based on a recent Gallup poll) now stands at 51 percent.

"Over the last 9 presidential election cycles, this has been been most accurate predictor of future president," said Dodd. "In every case where a majority of Americans approved of the president's performance, the incumbent's party has won."

Enhancing the Democratic Party's chances of securing the White House are the divisions with the Republican Party. The likelihood of an "acrimonious" GOP convention in Cleveland come July -- notably a schism between Trump supporters and opponents -- could irreparably damage the party's efforts to unite behind the nominee for the general election. By contrast, Sanders' supporters will back Clinton if, as Dodd expects, Hillary secures the nomination at the party's national convention in Philadelphia in July.

A White House win, he added, would likely secure for the Democrats other seats in play in 2016. Chief among them: The Senate, where 24 Republicans are up for re-election this year, as compared to 10 seats for the Democrats. Given the current balance of power--the Senate has 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats and two independents that consistently vote with the Democratic caucus -- a net gain by the Dems of 5 seats in November would earn for them a majority.

Turning to the Affordable Care Act, Dodd acknowledged "serious issues" that it failed to adequately address, including rising health care costs and insurance premiums; and a lack of coverage for millions of Americans who didn't benefit from the reform law. He insisted that the right approach is to fix specific issues with the legislation, rather than (as the Republicans have repeatedly tried) to repeal and replace the law. Again assuming Democratic gains in November, bipartisan cooperation on an overhaul of the law will likely ensue, said Dodd.

"My hope is the next president will have the good sense and judgement to confront issues in the law and move forward, rather than engage in an endless political brawl," he said. I have faith in political process."

During the keynote's Q&A , Dodd also said that Congress needs to revisit legislation he co-sponsored, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, with a view to harmonizing domestic and international regulations governing banks and other financial institutions.

Particularly needed is a consolidation "prudential regulations" of financial institutions so they better align with consumer protection laws. New legislation should also seek to eliminate overlapping jurisdictions among regulators.