McMahon reports lending campaign $27 million

Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon, repeating a trend she set in her unsuccessful 2010 race for the U.S. Senate, is personally financing her election campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman.

McMahon’s federal campaign report as of Sept. 30 for this election cycle showed that she had loaned $27,320,883 to the campaign, or 92 percent of her total war chest of $29,324,500. More than half _ $14,790,000 or 54 percent _ of the loans came in the third quarter of this year.

The wealthy professional wrestling producer said she had received contributions from outside sources of $1,650,296, or 5 percent of her total receipts for the election cycle.

McMahon, the Republican nominee, said her campaign had $1,006,454 cash on hand as of Sept. 30.

In her 2010 campaign, McMahon poured $50 million of her own fortune in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Chris Dodd, but lost to long-time Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal.

Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5th District, her Democratic opponent in the Nov. 6 election, reported making no loans to his Senate campaign and outside contributions of $8,212,452, or 96 percent of his total campaign receipts of $8,487,109.

Murphy said he had $2,242,874 in cash on hand.

Murphy spokesman Eli Zupnick, when informed of the McMahon filing, said she seems to be repeating her race from two years ago against now-U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

“Just like she did in 2010, Linda McMahon is spending tens of millions of dollars that she made at the WWE selling sex and violence to children to fund her desperate campaign of lies, smears, and attack ads,” Zupnick said. “But voters are focused on the issues, and no amount of money can hide McMahon’s strong support for the failed right-wing policies that Connecticut families have rejected again and again. “

Charles Lewis