Linda E. McMahon, a former wrestling executive, easily captured Connecticut’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday night, clinching a second chance to run for an office she failed to win two years ago.
In defeating Christopher Shays, a former United States representative and longtime fixture in moderate politics in the state, Ms. McMahon underscored the power of being an outside candidate, as well as a wealthy one. She outspent her opponent nearly 12 to 1, and flooded the airwaves with advertisements promoting herself as a political maverick who could bring common sense to Washington.
It appeared that Mr. Shays, who held his House seat for two decades before losing his bid to keep it in 2008, was tripped up by the Washington experience and centrist viewpoints that once made him one of the more popular Republicans in a left-leaning state.
With more than a quarter of all precincts reporting, Ms. McMahon held a comfortable lead over Mr. Shays, 76 percent to 24 percent. The Associated Press declared Ms. McMahon the winner half an hour after the polls closed at 8 p.m.
“She has my vote and my support,” Mr. Shays told reporters at his campaign headquarters in Stratford, moments after calling Ms. McMahon to concede. Ms. McMahon’s millions of dollars, he added, “trumped the experience we bring to the table.”
Ms. McMahon will face Representative Christopher S. Murphy, a Democrat, in the November election for the seat being vacated by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, an Independent. Mr. Murphy was heading toward a victory in his primary on Tuesday, with a 30-point margin over his opponent, Susan Bysiewicz, a former secretary of the state.
In 2010, Ms. McMahon spent tens of millions of dollars of her own fortune in her Senate bid, only to lose to Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, despite a political climate that year that propelled Republicans to the leadership of the House.
Mr. Shays, who is on a first-name basis with many of his former Fairfield County constituents, earned the endorsement of Connecticut’s major newspapers this year. But Ms. McMahon, absorbing the lessons of her defeat, waged a large campaign with an emphasis on jobs and her personal story, including her stewardship of World Wrestling Entertainment, which appeared to resonate with some voters on Tuesday.
“We like Chris Shays, but I tend to think he’s a career politician. He’s been in government a long, long time,” said Roy Ferris, 76, a retired telephone repairman from Fairfield who voted on Tuesday morning with his wife, Peggy. Both pulled the lever for Ms. McMahon.
“We need people who have gone through the challenges they have to face to run a business,” Mr. Ferris said. “She’s got business experience. She’s been very successful at it.”
In Westport, Georgene Huber, 81, and her husband, William, 84, said they admired Ms. McMahon. But Ms. Huber voted for Mr. Shays “because he’s been a friend all these years.” Mr. Huber, a retired executive at United Technologies, said he had grown more conservative of late.
“We have to have someone who can turn things around,” he said, after voting for Ms. McMahon. “We need the entrepreneurial spirit again in our country.”
Robert Davey contributed reporting.
In defeating Christopher Shays, a former United States representative and longtime fixture in moderate politics in the state, Ms. McMahon underscored the power of being an outside candidate, as well as a wealthy one. She outspent her opponent nearly 12 to 1, and flooded the airwaves with advertisements promoting herself as a political maverick who could bring common sense to Washington.
It appeared that Mr. Shays, who held his House seat for two decades before losing his bid to keep it in 2008, was tripped up by the Washington experience and centrist viewpoints that once made him one of the more popular Republicans in a left-leaning state.
With more than a quarter of all precincts reporting, Ms. McMahon held a comfortable lead over Mr. Shays, 76 percent to 24 percent. The Associated Press declared Ms. McMahon the winner half an hour after the polls closed at 8 p.m.
“She has my vote and my support,” Mr. Shays told reporters at his campaign headquarters in Stratford, moments after calling Ms. McMahon to concede. Ms. McMahon’s millions of dollars, he added, “trumped the experience we bring to the table.”
Ms. McMahon will face Representative Christopher S. Murphy, a Democrat, in the November election for the seat being vacated by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, an Independent. Mr. Murphy was heading toward a victory in his primary on Tuesday, with a 30-point margin over his opponent, Susan Bysiewicz, a former secretary of the state.
In 2010, Ms. McMahon spent tens of millions of dollars of her own fortune in her Senate bid, only to lose to Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, despite a political climate that year that propelled Republicans to the leadership of the House.
Mr. Shays, who is on a first-name basis with many of his former Fairfield County constituents, earned the endorsement of Connecticut’s major newspapers this year. But Ms. McMahon, absorbing the lessons of her defeat, waged a large campaign with an emphasis on jobs and her personal story, including her stewardship of World Wrestling Entertainment, which appeared to resonate with some voters on Tuesday.
“We like Chris Shays, but I tend to think he’s a career politician. He’s been in government a long, long time,” said Roy Ferris, 76, a retired telephone repairman from Fairfield who voted on Tuesday morning with his wife, Peggy. Both pulled the lever for Ms. McMahon.
“We need people who have gone through the challenges they have to face to run a business,” Mr. Ferris said. “She’s got business experience. She’s been very successful at it.”
In Westport, Georgene Huber, 81, and her husband, William, 84, said they admired Ms. McMahon. But Ms. Huber voted for Mr. Shays “because he’s been a friend all these years.” Mr. Huber, a retired executive at United Technologies, said he had grown more conservative of late.
“We have to have someone who can turn things around,” he said, after voting for Ms. McMahon. “We need the entrepreneurial spirit again in our country.”
Robert Davey contributed reporting.