There's nothing fake about Linda McMahon seeking the Republican nomination for Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd's seat.
For starters, she resigned as WWE's chief executive.
While I will not pretend to guess what her chances are of winning Dodd's seat, I will say don't ever count out a McMahon.
I'm rooting for Linda to get Dodd's seat. It would be nothing but good for wrestling, too -- as I am confident she would do a good job.
It'll be interesting to see if Linda's other three opponents attack her past involvement in WWE. I don't think they will -- I expect some jokes here and there but nothing out of line.
With as much money as the McMahons have earned, and with Linda bankrolling this effort herself, she's serious about this.
Wish her luck.
(Below are two wire stories that moved Wednesday on Linda McMahon. While The Associated Press story is a longer read, the Hartford Courant story is a better read. Enjoy.)
WIRE STORY ONE
WWE CEO Linda McMahon wades into Conn. Senate race
By ANDREW MIGA
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon has never been shy about wading into the ring -- and now she's plotting a smackdown of Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd.
World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday McMahon has resigned as the company's chief executive to seek the Republican nomination for Dodd's seat, providing a show-business twist to one of the nation's marquee Senate races.
"I never do anything half-heartedly," McMahon said in a telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. "I am 100 percent serious about this race."
McMahon, 60, launched her candidacy saying the five-term incumbent Dodd has "lost his way and our trust." Dodd plans to run for a sixth term next year and is seen as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats. He also faces a Democratic challenger, businessman Merrick Alpert.
McMahon's candidacy recalls the move brash Jesse Ventura made back in 1999, jumping from pro wrestling to the Minnesota governorship.
WWE, which is behind such television shows as "Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown" is known for its over-the-top performers, rowdy story lines and scantily clad women known as "divas."
McMahon and her family have been occasional performers. McMahon, who typically worked behind the scenes at the WWE, has said she's appeared in portions of the shows at least several dozen times during her more than 25-year-career. One video on the Internet shows her in the ring, appearing to kick a man in the groin.
Linda and Vince McMahon, a professional wrestler, announcer and promoter, co-founded WWE together. Linda McMahon has served as CEO since May 1997 and served as the company's president from May 1993 through June 2000. Vince McMahon has been chairman since 1980.
McMahon's husband will assume her duties as CEO, the company said in a statement.
McMahon faces three other Republicans -- former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley. She is expected to tap her personal wealth to help pay for the race.
"Given that Linda McMahon would be the fourth candidate in what will likely be an ugly primary fight, we're more than happy to see her get into the ring," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Eric Schultz.
McMahon could face criticism for some unsavory aspects of WWE's programming, particularly its sexually suggestive and violent themes. Asked about such criticisms, McMahon said WWE's programming is PG-rated and is seen by more than 16 million people each week.
"The product of WWE is currently very separate from the issues that are facing this country," she said. "We've got this unbelievable debt. We've got people out of work ... I hope that the focus in this campaign will be on the serious nature of the issues that are facing this country."
There could also be questions about whether her candidacy is motivated at least in part as a public relations ploy.
"At some level it's not a surprise that someone with a lot of money who is bored in her job would run," said Roy Occhiogrosso, a veteran Democratic strategist and Dodd supporter. "It certainly lends itself to all kinds of interesting metaphors."
When McMahon was appointed by Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell to the Connecticut Board of Education, she sparked criticism from some lawmakers who said it sent a wrong message to children. Her appointment was approved by the General Assembly this year.
The WWE has been under fire in recent years following the unexpected deaths of several former and active wrestlers, some of which have been related to substance abuse. Congress asked the WWE for answers after the 2007 murder-suicide deaths of one of the WWE's top stars, Chris Benoit, and his family.
The company in 2006 began a substance-abuse policy that requires tests for steroids and other drugs.
She will limit individual contributions to $100 and won't accept contributions from political action committees and special interests.
"I am going to run a very different campaign," she said.
McMahon's GOP rivals Foley and Simmons, meanwhile, had lighthearted responses to her entry in the contest.
"When I got into the race I knew it would be a fight, but I didn't know I'd need to be prepared for smackdowns," Foley said.
Simmons' spokesman Jim Barnett said his boss would run a "campaign Connecticut can be proud of, no head-butting, eye-gouging or hair-pulling."
On the Web: http://www.wwe.com
WIRE STORY TWO
WWE's Linda McMahon to Seek Dodd's Senate Seat for GOP//(Hartford)
By Daniela Altimari Ž(c) 2009, The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Linda E. McMahon is a mother, philanthropist, member of the State Board of Education, and CEO -- as well as occasional performer -- of the multimillion-dollar World Wrestling Entertainment empire.
Now she's also a candidate for U.S. Senate.
McMahon, who is 60 and lives in Greenwich, is joining an increasingly crowded Republican field hoping to oust the man many perceive as the Senate's weakest incumbent, Connecticut Democrat Christopher J. Dodd.
"I have spent the past 30 years growing what began as a 13-employee small business into a publicly traded, global entertainment company that now provides over 500 jobs here in Connecticut," McMahon said in a statement. "I understand what it takes to balance a budget, create jobs and grow the economy.
Washington is out of control, and sadly, Sen. Chris Dodd has lost his way and our trust. I can't sit by on the sidelines anymore knowing that I have both the experience and the strength to stand up to special interests and bring badly needed change to Washington."
McMahon will be "a different kind of candidate," her campaign spokesman, Ed Patru, said.
For one thing, she'll bankroll the effort herself: McMahon does not intend to accept political action committee donations and will cap individual contributions at $100, Patru said. Her husband of 43 years, WWE Chairman Vincent K. McMahon, debuted on the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans in 2000 and was once worth an estimated $1.1 billion, according to the magazine, although he has dropped off the list.
Pro-wrestling's reputation for overtly lewd and sexist performances, allegations of steroid abuse and YouTube clips of McMahon performing in the ring probably will provide her opponents with a fruitful source of material for negative ads. In recent years, however, the company has sought to diversify its image by promoting less edgy, more family-friendly events. Even the female wrestlers' notoriously skimpy attire has become less provocative, perhaps in acknowledgment that women make up 36 percent of WWE's television audience.
Wednesday morning, WWE announced that McMahon has stepped down as chief executive officer. Vince McMahon has assumed the duties of CEO in addition to his position as the company's chairman.
Although she has never run for elective office, McMahon, the mother of two grown children, serves on the advisory council of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and has supported the USO and the Starlight Children's Foundation, among other charities.
A friend and donor to M. Jodi Rell, McMahon was nominated by the Republican governor for a seat on the State Board of Education earlier this year.
During the confirmation process, legislators asked pointed questions about the sexual content of some WWE programming, but ultimately confirmed McMahon's nomination.
McMahon also has donated to Democrats, including Rahm Emanuel, who is now President Barack Obama's chief of staff.
She also contributed $10,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006, the year two incumbent Republican members of Congress from Connecticut were defeated.
One of those vanquished Republicans, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, is running for the same Senate seat McMahon seeks.
Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
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