Connecticut Republican Senate nominee Linda McMahon has been telling voters lately that it’s okay to vote for President Obama as well as her. Now she’s taking it a step further — and getting about as far away from her own party’s nominee for president as she can — and actually urging voters to cast their ballots for Obama as well as in the final days of the campaign.
McMahon campaign doorhangers that Democrats say they’ve discovered in minority neighborhoods this weekend couldn’t make it more clear: “Vote Barack Obama For President and Vote Linda McMahon For U.S. Senate,” they read. It’s a surprising suggestion from a Republican who, along with her husband, has given $150,000 to help make Romney the next president of the United States.
The McMahon campaign says she’s still backing Romney.
Photos of the McMahon doorhanger from a Democratic source:
With polls showing McMahon trailing Democratic candidate Chris Murphy heading into Tuesday — and also showing Connecticut remains a very blue state when it comes to presidential politics — McMahon has reached out to Obama voters a lot lately. A current TV ad features Obama voters who say they’ll also cast a ballot for McMahon in the Senate race:
But the doorhanger doesn’t just say it’s OK for Obama voters to also vote for McMahon. It actively calls for them to cast their ballot to reelect the president. It’s unlikely that McMahon will follow her own advice: in addition to her huge donation to the Romney cause, McMahon personally endorsed Romney last year.
McMahon’s campaign says she’s still on Team Romney.
“Linda McMahon enthusiastically supports Governor Romney for president,” McMahon campaign spokesperson Todd Abrajano told TPM. He alleged that Murphy’s campaign “is telling people that it’s illegal to split their ticket,” and that was the reason for the McMahon doorhangers. The Murphy campaign called the claim “ridiculous” and “desperate.”
McMahon, like Murphy, will be listed more than once on the Connecticut ballot due to the peculiarities of Connecticut politics. “There are thousands of Democrats across Connecticut who will be voting for President Obama and Linda McMahon on the independent party line,” Abrajano said.
For his part, Obama wants Connecticut voters to vote for Murphy. He cut an ad for the Democrat that’s been running in the state.
