Connecticut Local Politics

Big Spender

by Genghis Conn · October 14th, 2009, 6:24 am · 31 Comments

According to Roll Call (subscription) Linda McMahon will report spending (yes, spending) a staggering $2 million in the first two weeks of her U.S. Senate campaign.

McMahon has lent her campaign upwards of $3 million in cash and in-kind contributions so far. She has pledged to spend up to $30 million of her own money on the race.

Tags: 2010 races

31 responses so far ↓

  • 1 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:16 am ·

    Now that’s what I call a true conservative!

    Linda’s vanity run is about to echo Dodd’s Presidential jaunt.

  • 2 pufnstuf // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:35 am ·

    Scooper……she’s going to move to Iowa?

  • 3 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:57 am ·

    Puf–

    $20 Million is going to be spent, and for what?

    I haven’t met a single Republican that is impressed with Ms. McMahon, whose track record in politics is non-existent, and whose stump speech frankly sucks.

    She’s going to have to skip the convention and just buy her way onto the primary ballot, but then what?

    Outside of her ego she has no message. So far she’s tring to convince folks that she’s a billionaire who feels our pain, (I guess she almost went bankrupt 30 years ago).

    But hey, if you like her Puf, … Vote for her!

  • 4 Joe Sixpack // Oct 14, 2009 at 9:19 am ·

    Scoop – If McMahon spends that $30 million slamming Dodd, then bully for her. If she spends it thinking she is going to win anything, well, a fool and her money are soon parted.

    But she and her bankroll could sure add to Dodd’s woes…..

  • 5 GoatBoyPHD // Oct 14, 2009 at 9:39 am ·

    How will Schiff handle this? Bluster? Early withdrawal? Matching funds?

  • 6 nmct // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:03 am ·

    AS,

    She stinks. Not impressed at all.

  • 7 Heath // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:08 am ·

    According to Capitol Watch:

    McMahon spent $2.05 million for the period ending on September 30 and has $1.45 million in cash on hand, the campaign said Tuesday night. McMahon loaned $3 million to the campaign and made $496,000 in in-kind contributions for expenses she paid on behalf of the campaign.

    It will be interesting to see her report for individual contributions – particularly at $100/max contribution.

  • 8 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:39 am ·

    Heath, problem is their will be no names disclosed, as the threshold for having to report is $200 or $250.

    Does Linda have any Republican supporters? Will she get more than a handful of delegates at convention?

    My bet is that like Schiff, McMahon’s only chance would be an Independent run. I just don’t see how she could win a primary, no matter how much make believe advertising she spends.

  • 9 rogersugrue // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:55 am ·

    And you would love an independent run wouldn’t you Anderson? That would make it a heck of a lot easier for Dodd to get re-elected.

    If she really cares about Connecticut and if even an ounce of her new-found GOP reteroric is genuine, she’ll go back to the WWE after she loses in August.

  • 10 rogersugrue // Oct 14, 2009 at 11:05 am ·

    *Rhetoric*

    Does anyone know if she has been asked about that at any of her speaking engagements? Will she commit to only run as Republican?

  • 11 GoatBoyPHD // Oct 14, 2009 at 4:04 pm ·

    Captain Lou Albano won’t be appearing for Linda.

    RIP Captain Lou.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJNrsNe54AE

  • 12 pufnstuf // Oct 14, 2009 at 5:23 pm ·

    Scooper, I like her better than Dodd. But, does she have any delegate support at all? Is there a delegate count anywhere?

  • 13 Weicker Liker // Oct 14, 2009 at 5:39 pm ·

    Linda McMahon has a few interesting paths to a Primary…..

    1) Her campaign advisors could easily organize an effort to get their own SLATE OF DELEGATES inominated n selected Towns that hold Caucuses.

    Any registered Republican can vote in a Town Caucus and it would fairly easy to stack these meetings with her supporters.

    Plus, Unaffiliated voters would get IMMEDIATE voting rights if they joined the Republican party a few days in advance of a Caucus.

    2) And of course, she can Petition her way onto the August Primary ballot with 2% the enrollment of the Republicans Statewide.

  • 14 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 5:40 pm ·

    Puf, you’re the Republican.

    Is anybody buying into her? I know Ms. McMahon is waiting for the polls which will show her in second place, (that’s what she just spent millions on), but in terms of RTC members, (you know, those folks Linda derides as “insiders”), is anyone, and I mean anyone, signing on?

  • 15 gmr // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:33 pm ·

    Linda McMahon’s campaign will be well liked by television station managers and owners of local newspapers, as she’ll buy plenty of advertising on both. She’ll also be liked by various Stamford print shops who will benefit from her printing a bunch of brochures.

    However, I just don’t see her gaining widespread support among the Republican primary voters. I’m not sure whom I’ll support, but definitely not her.

  • 16 ebpie // Oct 14, 2009 at 8:38 pm ·

    Linda McMahon is an economic stimulus program. I’m sure pouring all that money into the race will help keep some Connecticut residents employed. In that respect, her run for office is great!

  • 17 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 9:33 pm ·

    Personally I think Linda should go back to WWE, and worry about her shareholders.

    For all her “success” WWE’s stock this year is trading in the $10-$15 range. Almost ten years ago to the day it IPO’ed at $17/share… Is that a winning record?

  • 18 gmr // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:01 pm ·

    For all her “success” WWE’s stock this year is trading in the $10-$15 range. Almost ten years ago to the day it IPO’ed at $17/share… Is that a winning record?

    Not a great track record. However, note that each share has paid out about $5.44 in dividends per share, so it’s not quite as bad as it looks. Linda has certainly done much better than the shareholders.

  • 19 AndersonScooper // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:23 pm ·

    Where do you get that figure GMR? That’s about 55 cents per year, or a 3.25% return.

    If ur numbere are correct, and add it all up, that’s almost a 2% ROI over the past decade, which is probably better than giving your money to Peter Schiff!

  • 20 ACR // Oct 14, 2009 at 10:41 pm ·

    >>Her campaign advisers could easily organize an effort

    What are you, on her staff?

    Wake up!

  • 21 Weicker Liker // Oct 14, 2009 at 11:11 pm ·

    ACR….

    Glad you asked!!! Am wide awake……

    By chance, I spoke to one of Linda McMahon’s staffers this morning, a veteran Washington operative.

    He tells me the Simmons campaign has good reason to be concerned about her candidacy.

    Pressed this person for any internal numbers.

    As expected, he was unable to give me any polling info.

    Of course, the scenario I described about Delegates and Petitioning could apply to any of the GOP Senate hopefuls.

  • 22 Heath // Oct 14, 2009 at 11:25 pm ·

    gmr – I’ve got a delegate count I keep current at my site.

  • 23 AndersonScooper // Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 am ·

    I want to know who will be the first ten CT GOP “insiders” to sign on to McMahon’s bid to be the Republican nominee against Dodd.

    Heck, I challenge Sullivan and Latina to trot out even five endorsements by future delegates. Outside of those who might offer themselves up for sale, does anyone think Linda would be better for Connecticut than the more traditional Republicans in the race? (And yes McMahon and Schiff make me want to puke, in the same manner as Jim Amann and Joe Lieberman.)

  • 24 ACR // Oct 15, 2009 at 12:40 am ·

    >>He tells me the Simmons campaign has good reason to be concerned about her candidacy.

    It’s the United States of America I’m worried about.

  • 25 gmr // Oct 15, 2009 at 12:47 am ·

    Where do you get that figure GMR? That’s about 55 cents per year, or a 3.25% return.

    Historical dividends for WWE:

    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=WWE&a=09&b=19&c=1999&d=09&e=15&f=2009&g=v

    Interestingly, WWE went public on October 19, 1999, the same day that Martha Stewart Omnimedia went public. MSO went public for $18 per share; WWE (then called WWF) went public for $17 per share.

    Prices for both stocks soared on opening day (remember 1999, when stocks only went up?). WWE closed at $30; Martha Stewart at $36.62.

    WWE is now trading at $13.67, but as I mentioned, it’s paid $5.44 in dividends, so investors would be up SLIGHTLY if they got in at the offer price of $17.

    Martha Stewart is a different story. Public at $18 per share, now trading at $6.18 (and it was up $0.44 today). It’s never paid a dividend. So investor in that company, assuming they got in at the offer price, would have lost about 2/3 of their money.

    So Linda has been better for her shareholders than Martha has been for hers, but then again, Linda didn’t spend half a year in jail like Martha had to. Martha hasn’t been running her company day-to-day. Linda also has not been the subject of a bad made-for-TV movie starring Cybil Shepherd. Maybe if her campaign goes really well, she’ll also get that honor.

  • 26 GoatBoyPHD // Oct 15, 2009 at 1:21 am ·

    More relevant today is that WWE pays a 7% dividend at today’s depressed prices and had blow out earning last quarter.

  • 27 AndersonScooper // Oct 15, 2009 at 1:50 am ·

    GMR–

    Ohmigod, WWE is holding up better than MSO, (Martha Stewart Online)!

    Only Martha Stewart isn’t running for a U.S. Senate seat!

    GoatBoy–

    Yes, that 7% dividend might be good for short term investors. But it’s also deficit spending. And yes, , given it’s balance sheet WWE can pay out 96 cents per share per year. But when WWE earns just $.70-$.75/share per year, how long will WWE shareholders allow the McMahons to subsidize failure?

    Finally, will either of you dare to come out as a Linda-backer? If she’s such a great bet, wouldn’t you want to be early-endorsers?

  • 28 GoatBoyPHD // Oct 15, 2009 at 7:01 am ·

    Scooper,

    Deficit spending? Are you an accountant?

    That was a rhetorical question. I know the answer based on your easy dismissal of a 7% dividend on a company that has a PE of 18 and upwards earnings revisions.

    It’s cleaner money than the Irish Shanty and VIP loans. Given the Princess Leia revelation the buffoon and credibility level of the acts are about the same.

    You can see the commerical can’t you? Like an Old Irish Spring commercial with Irish sea songs, and pipes, and the shanty and a discussion of job creation in CT versus wealth accumulation and favors from financial gloss. AIG and Goldman bonuses, the financial crisis, and now the failed health care plan. Tssk.

  • 29 gmr // Oct 15, 2009 at 8:04 am ·

    I am not a Linda supporter, but just wanted to get the record straight regarding her company’s performance. She’s got plenty of negatives, no need to make up ones that aren’t accurate.

  • 30 gmr // Oct 15, 2009 at 8:04 am ·

    Remember the XFL? Man, was that a boondoggle.

  • 31 rogersugrue // Oct 15, 2009 at 11:20 am ·

    I almost forgot about the XFL. Did the McMahon’s have outside investers or was that done by the McMahon’s/WWE.

You must log in to post a comment.