Republican Linda McMahon gives her concession speech in the race for U.S. Senate on election night at the Hilton Stamford Hotel, Conn., on Nov. 6, 2012. McMahon was defeated by Democrat Chris Murphy.
The Susan Lucci of Connecticut politics is getting her due from Republicans.
Unable to win the big one during the previous two elections for U.S. Senate — the most expensive races this state has ever seen — wrestling matriarch Linda McMahon will receive the state GOP’s highest honor during its annual fundraising dinner, the party announced Tuesday.
McMahon, former chief executive of WWE, the billion-dollar entertainment brand she built up with her husband, Vince, will be presented with the Prescott Bush Award on April 10 in Stamford.
“Linda McMahon has shown tremendous leadership, both as a candidate herself and as a tireless advocate for Republicans at all levels of local, state and federal government,” Jerry Labriola Jr., the state GOP chairman, said in a statement Tuesday. “Her experience creating, building and running a business has helped shine a light on the need for government to help, not hinder, the creation of jobs in order to help our state and our economy prosper.”
Named after Prescott Bush, the late U.S. senator from Greenwich and Bush family patriarch, the award has frequently gone to party stalwarts and fundraising bundlers from the GOP bastion. Bush was the grandfather of this year’s keynote speaker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a GOP dark horse going into the 2016 presidential election.
While McMahon has categorically denied she is eying public office, she has maintained her visibility at Republican events throughout the state.
In 2013, the first couple of professional wrestling gave $20,000 to the state Republican Party.