Political Capitol

Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, who lost the GOP’s nomination and primary for U.S. Senate to wealthy wrestling executive Linda McMahon, was never able to fully get behind her candidacy.

During the campaign he declined to state whether he would vote for her.

Simmons told reporters after primary votes were counted August 10 he would get out of her way and not be an obstructionist.

But in a brief phone interview this afternoon Simmons said, “I usually don’t say how I vote … but I voted for her.”

“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “But in the last analysis I felt that on the issues with which she would be confronted in Washington, her vote with my party would be better than his (Democrat Richard Blumenthal’s) vote with his party. And I have every reason to believe the Republican leadership would help her along with how to vote.”

Simmons, who lives in Stonington, decided to tell a reporter how he voted Tuesday because this morning he shared the same information with his barber, so it will likely be “all over town.”

My hopes of asking Vince McMahon, husband of recently defeated Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda, about how her campaign might have impacted their company, World Wrestling Entertainment, were dashed this morning.

In mid-October Stamford-based WWE announced that at 11 a.m. this morning – two days after Election Day – Vince would be hosting a conference call about the company’s third quarter results.

His wife, who stepped down as CEO last September when she launched her campaign, ran on her experience as an executive. Opponent Richard Blumenthal, other Democrats, some Republicans and the media have for months been raising questions about how the McMahons built the company, its products and how they treated their talent and behind-the-scenes workers.

Vince began striking back about two weeks ago, resulting in the Connecticut Democratic Party filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging improper coordination with Linda’s campaign.

Whether she won or lost, I was looking forward to Vince’s comments this morning.

But the trio of WWE executives who made the third quarter presentation told listeners, “Vince is unable to join us.”

There was no mention of Linda’s campaign during the half hour or so presentation.

I tried to dial in to ask the question myself but was unsuccessful.

Last week I asked WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman if the company could quantify whether Linda’s campaign had had a negative impact.

He sent me the following e-mail:

“No we can’t, because the company does not exist in a singular bubble. I am not a economics major, but there are too many variables and factors that come into play.  Not sure what the numbers will be for the quarterly filing, but remember the campaign has been on for over a year now while the economy is still in the toilet – so if there is any one thing that is the cause of any negative #s, especially for a content/entertainment company, it is the economy, as past history has dictated. WWE fans know the brand and know when politicians are just dishing out BS about the company for political purposes. Hence why the ‘Stand Up For WWE’ campaign has been so overwhelmingly successful.  Our fans love the brand.”

Democratic Senator-elect Richard Blumenthal’s opponents during his recently concluded campaign had a hard time swallowing his defense that on a few occasions he UNINTENTIONALLY said he served in Vietnam rather than stateside in the Marine Corps Reserves.

The problem for his critics, including Republican opponent Linda McMahon, was the lack of proof he was a serial liar who during his 20-plus years as a state official (first a legislator, then attorney general) sought to fool the public.

In fact there was far more evidence Blumenthal had correctly portrayed his Vietnam service to both the public and fellow veterans whom he’s assisted over the years.

But, argued McMahon and her supporters, as an attorney he knows the importance and the power of words and has a history of speaking very carefully.

Those accusations crossed my mind earlier today when, during his first post-campaign press conference in Hartford, Blumenthal was quick to correct a reporter who addressed him as “Senator Blumenthal.”

“Senator-elect,” he said.

.

Self-described “independent Democratic” U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Stamford just released a statement congratulating Democratic Senator-elect Richard Blumenthal for last night’s victory over Republican Linda McMahon.

Here’s Lieberman’s statement:

“I congratulate Senator-elect Blumenthal on being elected to the United States Senate, and I welcome him to Connecticut’s congressional delegation.  Dick brings to the Senate over thirty years of distinguished public service to our state; first as US Attorney for Connecticut, then as a state legislator, and most recently as Attorney General.  I look forward to working closely with Dick and the other members of our delegation as we move forward together to address the pressing issues facing Connecticut and the nation.”

Despite past clashes with the McMahon family company, Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment, over the sexual/violent content of some programming (Linda’s husband, Vince, in 2001 told Playboy Magazine Lieberman was “scary”), Lieberman did not endorse Blumenthal.

The McMahons donated to Lieberman’s last campaign in 2006, during which he lost the Democratic Party’s nomination over his support of the Iraq invasion but came back in the general election as a third party candidate.

A reader asked why I didn’t blog more during Election Day?

Myself, colleagues Ken Dixon, Neil Vigdor and other Hearst Connecticut Newspapers’ staff were blogging fast and furiously at the same central location – the company’s Election 2010 blog.

So check it out for breaking election news and info/insights you might have missed yesterday.

I’ll be posting here as well.

Thanks for the interest!

Trackers are the folks hired by political campaigns to try to follow opponents around and video tape their public appearances in the hopes of capturing a “Macaca” moment.

Matt Longobardi, 22, has since August been the tracker employed by the Connecticut Democratic Party to tail Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon.

With the race over as of Blumenthal’s victory tonight, I pulled Longobardi, who was in Hartford celebrating, aside for a chat about his job.

“I’m definitely relieved,” Longobardi, a Glastonbury resident, said of the campaign’s end. “It completely got sprung on me. I didn’t even know what a tracker was.”

He said it was a good experience but added, “I definitely wouldn’t do it again.”

Longobardi is a registered Democrat but does not consider himself to be a political person. He was an art and photography major in college and hopes to pursue a career using those skills.

McMahon also employed a tracker, and her staff and Blumenthal’s staff would do their best to foil their recording efforts along the trail.

Although a Blumenthal supporter, Longobardi acknowledged that McMahon is “a really nice lady, for sure.” And he said her staff “joked and blocked (his video shots) but it could have been way worse.”

How much did Longobardi get paid for his work?

“Not enough,” he said. “Good thing I’m living with my parents while doing this.”

As my Hearst Newspapers colleague Neil Vigdor reported earlier, those boring, stuffed shirts in the U.S. Department of Justice decided World Wrestling Entertainment ringmaster Vince McMahon needed to be told it’s time to stop turning the U.S. Senate race into a circus.

The DOJ today, in a letter released after 5 p.m. by WWE and posted at the link above by Vigdor, authorized the company to refrain from handing out free merchandise outside of polling places tomorrow.

Vince reluctantly agreed.

Vince’s wife, Linda, is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, even though it’s her husband who’s been generating most of the headlines lately.

I understand from sources inside WWE that the DOJ’s decision meant Vince at the last minute had to cancel today’s announcement about setting up “Kiss Your Favorite WWE Diva” booths at select polling sites.

(Just kidding. But I wouldn’t put it past him, either.)

The big news stories Saturday were President Barack Obama’s visit to Bridgeport to rally Democrats ahead of Election Day and World Wrestling Entertainment’s fan appreciation night to rally supporters of ex-WWE CEO/Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon … sorry, I meant to THANK supporters of WWE for standing by the company during McMahon’s campaign.

But Saturday in Connecticut really belonged to Ernest Borgnine.

Seriously. Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell proclaimed it “Ernest Borgnine Day.”

The 93-year-old actor was notified of the honor during an afternoon appearance at Sacred Heart University by the event’s moderator.

Borgnine, a Hamden native, was invited by the school to reminisce about his long career on stage, film and television, which includes an Oscar win and a supporting role in the new Bruce Willis film, “RED.”

The audience included myself. Borgnine looks fantastic for a man of nine decades and his memory’s sharp.

So whether you spent your Saturday with politicians or muscular men and women in tights, maybe after casting your vote tomorrow, head to your nearest video store or outlet, pick up an Ernest Borgnine flick, and end Election Day honoring a pretty cool Connecticut export.