Linda McMahon Poised to Run for Senate Again

Real Clear Politics ^ | September 10, 2011 | Caitlin Huey-Burns

[neverdem]

In the last election cycle, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon spent $50 million of her own fortune in an unsuccessful quest to fill Connecticut's vacant U.S. Senate seat, losing badly to her Democratic opponent, Richard Blumenthal. With the lessons of being a novice candidate behind her, McMahon is back for Round 2, poised to enter the 2012 race to succeed retiring four-term Sen. Joe Lieberman.

A source close to McMahon’s future campaign confirmed to RealClearPolitics that the Republican hopeful will make her candidacy official in the next two weeks. (News of her plans was first reported by The New York Times.)

Last year’s battle between McMahon and Blumenthal attracted national attention as Republicans tried to capture a seat long held by Democrat Christopher Dodd, who was retiring; the GOP was fueled by hopes of reversing the balance of power in the Senate. In the primary, McMahon rose quickly from a political unknown to a viable candidate, defeating former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons and businessman Peter Schiff. To compete with McMahon’s self-funding and rise in the polls, national Democrats were forced to direct more resources to a state that is typically safe for the party and which President Obama won in 2008 with 60 percent of the vote.

McMahon positioned herself as a newcomer and businesswoman who would shake things up in Washington, and she painted Blumenthal, then the state’s attorney general, as a career politician -- a narrative that played well with the angry electorate in other congressional races. But despite this and the size of her campaign coffers, McMahon wasn’t able to secure a victory for Republicans in an election that was historically successful for the GOP.

Since her loss, McMahon has been busy gauging the political climate and building support for another try at the Senate...

[onona]

Good for her !

[neverdem]

She struck me as aa bit of a RINO, but better than Chris Shays, IMHO. I don’t know if real conservatives can be elected in Connecticut.

[matt04]

Blumenthal, the idiot that CT voters elected, who has no clue how to create a job.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2602048/posts

[Tymesup]

She has an office next to ours, I see her and some of her people pretty frequently. They seem like regular folks to me.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[matt04]

Let’s not forget Blumenthal ran on BOTH the Democrat and Working Families ticket and the ballot shortage/extended voting in Bridgeport.

Blumenthal (D) 605,204 + (WF) 30,836 = 636,040
McMahon (R) = 498,341
Mertens (CT for Lieberman) = 6,735
Mosler (I) = 11,275

[Avery Iota Kracker]

Why not, how many comebacks has Hulk Hogan had?

[neverdem]

Thanks for the vote tallies.

[bobby.223]

A few more than Haystack(s) Calhoun but who’s countin’!!

[Impy]

Chris Shays makes me like Mark Kirk.

But McMahon was such a horrible candidate, hardly deserving of another chance.

Blah.

At least we have a chance to scoop up Chris Murphy’s House seat.

[BillyBoy]

>>> Chris Shays makes me like Mark Kirk. But McMahon was such a horrible candidate, hardly deserving of another chance. Blah. <<

Yeah, I don't know why so many freepers are McMahan fans and relish the thought of her running again. She's to the right of RINO Chris Shays, but that's not saying much as about 95% Republicans in America could say the same. The race wasn't even close, she lost by 12 points in a VERY strong GOP friendly year. Granted, she was running a heavily Dem state, but it was for an open seat with NO incumbent and a damaged RAT opponent (Richard "I served in Vietnam..oops! nevermind" Blumenthal). If it had been a 2-point loss, fine, give her another shot. But 12 points? Go away Linda.

At least her husband ain't running. Then we'd have our version of Al Franken.

[muir_redwoods]

His name is pronounced “Bloomin-liar”, BTW

[ballplayer]

I would rather Have Peter Schiff

[WashingtonSource]

Bridgeport is a source of vote creation posing as ballot shortages. For Dems, of course. This is beginning to happen one every cycle. Large minority presence in Bridgeport pliable to voting early and voting often.

[RaceBannon]

she didn’t know how to stimulate the economy, she believed in global warming, said so in Enfield

however, she didn’t hang out with Adam kokesh and the Ron Paul CODE PINK types like Peter Schiff does, so...

[ken21]

good.

we have relatives in connecticut and visited them.

the state’s full of left wing bigots.

[GOPsterinMA]

“Chris Shays makes me like Mark Kirk.”

Or MAYBE even Scotty B.

[neverdem]

Or MAYBE even Scotty B.

With voter registration in MA at about 38 % rats, 11 % pubbies and over 50 % independents, Scott Brown is probably the best you'll get in MA.

I'd like to see Olympia Snow primaried next year. If successful, primary Susan Collins in 2014. The Tea Party had a great year in Maine in 2010.

[Impy]

It’s natural to hate the garbage in your own backyard the most. For you Brown, for me and Billyboy and Dengar, Kirk.

In my view Shays had gotta be one of the worst RINOs in recent memory. In the House only Connie Morella and maybe Jim Leach were worse. Even Castle from Delaware was a little better than Shays.

I’d rank them Brown>Kirk>Shays. I agree with DJ, I have more respect for Brown than Kirk (and certainly Shays).