Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT) has a new ad in his bid for the Republican nomination for Senate –Â a race that he dramatically re-entered over the last two weeks, after he’d previously suspended his campaign in late May.
The announcer takes a barely-veiled shot at Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO and self-financing frontrunner for the nomination: “Lest we forget, service defines us. Service protects us, it heals us, it inspires us. Service is selfless, it’s compassionate, it’s human, it’s American. And the right to serve is earned — it’s not bought, it’s not entered into on a whim. Lest we forget, service is what we ask of our leaders. And service is the yardstick by which we measure them.”
As The Day of New London reports, the Simmons campaign is spending $250,000 on the ad.
Simmons suspended his campaign in late May, after McMahon won the state party convention’s endorsement. But a week and a half ago, he went back on the air with a TV ad: “In the Republican primary on August 10th, you do have a choice. I’m Rob Simmons, I’m still on the ballot, and I approved this message.”
He also told TPM that he had “scaled back” his campaign, seeming to deny that he had dropped out at all. “It’s correct to say that I’ve been on the ballot since the convention and everybody knows that,” Simmons told me. “So in that regard there’s been no change, I’m on the ballot. In the intervening months since the convention I scaled back my campaign to give the other candidates time to pursue their campaigns. But there’s been no debates, nothing, and recent polls have shown that nothing has moved at all. I’m just as competitive against Richard Blumenthal as Mrs. McMahon, and she’s spent a ton of money.”
And finally, Simmons attended a debate with the third candidate in the primary, financial commentator Peter Schiff, where McMahon was not present. “I’m Rob Simmons. I am running for the United States Senate, because I love my country, and I don’t like where it’s going,” said Simmons.
The Republican primary will be held on August 10. The TPM Poll Average for the primary shows McMahon with a lead of 43.4%-29.6% over Simmons, plus 10.0% for Schiff. In the general election, McMahon trails Democratic state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal by 52.5%-38.8%, and Simmons trails Blumenthal by 52.7%-35.7%.
