CONNECTICUT
      Nov. 6, 2012 U.S. Senate

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+Chris Murphy (D, WF)
 828,761
 54.82%
Linda McMahon (R, I)
 651,089
 43.07%
Paul Passarelli (L)
 25,045
 1.66%
Matthew Coleman (w/in)
 6,414
 0.42%
more write-ins (6) 455
  

1,511,764
Registration: 2,112,159  Voters Checked: 1,560,640.
Plurality: 177,672 votes (11.75 percentage points).
  CT Secretary of State -Elections


Notes: This was an open seat.  On Jan. 19, 2011, Sen. Joe Lieberman (Independent Democrat) announced he would not seek re-election.  In the Nov. 6 general election, former WWE president and CEO Linda McMahon (R), who was also the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010, lost to U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D), who was first elected to Congress in 2006.

The Aug. 14 primaries were lopsided.  Murphy defeated former Sec. of State Susan Bysiewicz by 94,424 votes to 47,109, and McMahon defeated former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays by 82,646 votes to 30,802.

Murphy and McMahon debated four times:

Oct. 7 - WFSB-TV studios in Rocky Hill (>).

Oct. 11 - FOX CT and the Hartford Courant at the Jorgensen Center at UCONN in Storrs (>).

Oct. 16 - WTNH News8 at Garde Arts Center in New London (>).

Oct. 18 - sponsored by the Connecticut Broadcasters Association at the Hilton Hotel in Hartford (>).

According to Open Secrets (>), this was the fourth most expensive Senate race of 2012; the McMahon and Murphy campaigns and outside groups spent a total of $70.4 million.  McMahon provided $48.7 million to her campaign.  The McMahon campaign spent a total of $49.5 million to $10.4 million by the Murphy campaign.  Additionally there was $10.5 million in outside spending, mostly on the Democratic side, led by the DSCC ($4.3m) and Majority PAC ($2.5m).

Despite all McMahon's spending, Murphy won by a margin of 177,672 votes (11.75 percentage points).  By comparison, Obama carried the state by 270,191 votes (17.33 percentage points).
 

 Campaign Managers:
Chris Murphy: Kenneth Curran
(May 2011)  Directed Murphy's 2010 campaign.  Director of outreach to U.S. Rep. Murphy, from Feb. 2008.  Campaign manager on Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez's re-election in 2007.  Political director on Sen. Joe Lieberman's 2006 re-election.  Aide to U.S. Rep. Jim Maloney (CT), Nov. 2002-Jan. 2003.  Graduated from  King's College in Wilkes-Barre.
 
Linda McMahon:  Corry Bliss
Campaign manager on Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie's run for governor of Vermont in 2010.  Campaign manager on U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake's (VA) unsuccessful re-election in 2008.  J.D. from CUNY School of Law, 2006; undergraduate degree from Boston University.


See also:
Ken Dixon.  "McMahon, Murphy's inner circles a sharp contrast."  ctpost.com, Oct. 6, 2012.
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