Wealthy former wrestling executive Linda McMahon has won a chance to become the first Republican U.S. senator to represent Connecticut in three decades.
McMahon defeated former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays in Tuesday's GOP primary.
It's the second time the state's Republicans have chosen McMahon over a veteran politician as the standard-bearer in the general election for an open Senate seat. McMahon lost in 2010 to then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, after spending about $50 million of her own money. She has loaned or given about $15.7 million to this campaign so far.
Shays, a moderate Republican who represented the 4th Congressional District from 1987 until he lost in 2008, had touted his Washington experience during the primary campaign.
The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent.
U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy won the Democratic nomination for Connecticut's open U.S. Senate seat.
The three-term congressman and former state legislator beat back a challenge from former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz in Tuesday's primary.
Murphy made the argument that he has political and financial support to battle wealthy former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, the endorsed Republican candidate, in the November election.
Bysiewicz served as secretary of the state from 1999 to 2007. She was briefly a candidate for governor 2010, but dropped out to run for attorney general. Later, the state Supreme Court ruled she did not have the required legal experience to run for the job.
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