 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2021) |
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| Turnout | 45.9% (voting eligible)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Municipality results Congressional district resultsBlumenthal: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% McMahon: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut was amidterm election which took place on November 2, 2010, to decide aClass III Senator from the State of Connecticut to join the112th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic U.S. SenatorChris Dodd suffered from dropping approval ratings in the past few years due to major controversies, leading him to announce in January 2010 that he would retire, instead of seeking a sixth term.[2] As Dodd was a Democrat,Richard Blumenthal, incumbentState Attorney General, announced on the same day that he would run for Dodd's seat.[3] TheConnecticut Democratic Party nominated Blumenthal on May 21. Businesswoman and futureSecretary of EducationLinda McMahon won thestate party's nominating convention and the August 10 Republican primary to become the Republican candidate.[4] This was the first open Senate seat in Connecticut since1980, when Dodd was first elected. Blumenthal was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a non-special election in 2010.
Chris Dodd's power and popularity may have deteriorated for at least three reasons since his last re-election:
In December 2008, it was reported that Dodd had a little less than $670,000 banked for a re-election campaign, far less than other senators anticipated to seek re-election.[9] In February 2009, a poll indicated that Dodd's favorability ratings were slipping, and many Connecticut voters were not satisfied with Dodd's explanations regarding the mortgage.[10]
On March 17, 2009, theNRSC released a web ad attacking Dodd for his Irish cottage, his mortgage, and his relocation toIowa in 2007.[11]
On March 2, 2009, noted punditMichael Barone suggested Dodd was "ripe for the picking" in the 2010 election due to the fallout from his various controversies.[12]Nate Silver ofFiveThirtyEight suggested that if necessary, another Connecticut Democrat should primary Dodd. Silver rated Dodd as the single most vulnerable incumbent senator up for re-election in 2010.[13] On December 10, 2009, the Cook Political Report listed this race as "Lean Republican."
Democratic gubernatorial candidateSusan Bysiewicz was quoted suggesting Dodd's yet unannounced re-election bid could be a drag on the candidacies of other Connecticut Democrats in 2010.[14]
Many political leaders speculated Dodd could be persuaded to retire so as to preserve his "senior statesman" legacy.[15] Fellow Connecticut SenatorJoe Lieberman had indicated that he would have supported Dodd's reelection, despite past disagreements, including Dodd's2006 endorsement ofNed Lamont[16] and Lieberman's support ofJohn McCain's2008 Presidential Campaign.
In fundraising reports issued for the first quarter of 2009, Dodd reported having raised over $1 million, but reported only five contributions from Connecticut residents.[17]
A March 2009Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll confirmed Dodd's vulnerability. On April 2, 2009, Quinnipiac released a poll indicating Dodd in serious danger of losing re-election, despite the fact that Connecticut is a heavilyblue state that President Obama won in 2008 with over 60% of the vote.
He failed to attain a 50% level of support against three lesser known possible Republican opponents.[18][19][20] Former U.S. CongressmanRob Simmons (R) in particular was leading in general election polling with double digit margins, and Simmons reached as high as 51% in a GQR poll.[21] Notably,Rasmussen Reports had Simmons 48% to 35% over Dodd in December 2009, a thirteen-point spread.[22]
Withdrew
Merrick Alpert announced his candidacy to challenge current Senator Chris Dodd in May 2009.[24] Facing grave prospects at re-election, Dodd announced his retirement from the Senate on January 6, 2010.[23] Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney General and former State Senator announced he would be running.
Merrick Alpert and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal squared-off in a March 1 debate highlighting important issues. On healthcare, Alpert revealed his support for a single-payer system. Blumenthal explained that pool-purchasing powers should be explored. Alpert presented information as to how insurance rates had skyrocketed in Connecticut since the Attorney General took office. On the topic of war, Blumenthal pledged his support ofPresident Obama's current plan. Alpert expressed that, being a former peacekeeper inBosnia, he understood what policies work and which ones do not, elaborating that the current one did not. Alpert set out a plan for the withdrawal of troops from thewar in Afghanistan. On a question concerning relations withCuba, Blumenthal explained that it would take time, and that he would put together a panel of Cuban-American people to decide the best course of action. Alpert explained that he would vote on the issue that night.[25]
| Poll source | Dates administered | Richard Blumenthal | Merrick Alpert | Lee Whitnum | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac[26] | January 8–12, 2010 | 84% | 4% | –– | 12% |
| Quinnipiac[27] | March 9–15, 2010 | 81% | 6% | –– | 13% |
Blumenthal won the convention overwhelmingly, disallowing any other candidate to get at least 15% of the vote necessary to get on the primary ballot. Therefore, Blumenthal went uncontested within the Democratic Party and officially became the Democratic nominee.[28][29][30]
On February 27, 2009,Commentary magazine reported that various Washington, D.C. Republicans were seeking to getLarry Kudlow, a popular TV talk show host and columnist, to enter the race against Dodd.[34] State Senator Sam Caligiuri originally planned to run the U.S. Senate, but after doing poorly in both primary and general election polling he decided to drop out and instead run the U.S. House of Representatives in the 5th District. Tom Foley also left the race to run instead forGovernor of Connecticut, as incumbent GovernorM. Jodi Rell was not seeking re-election.
After the Quinnipiac poll that showed him edging Dodd in a potential matchup, Simmons decided to officially enter the race.[35] Upon his announcement, the DSCC attacked Simmons for his past support ofGeorge W. Bush and ties toJack Abramoff andTom DeLay.[36] A leading state political blogger, who had endorsed Simmons' opponent in 2006, questioned whether these issues were relevant to the 2010 race.[37] Simmons suspended his campaign after he lost the convention, but did not publicly endorse McMahon. In late July, Simmons revived his effort with a TV ad reminding Connecticut Republicans that "I'm still on the ballot."
McMahon, a billionaire, spent slightly more than $21 million through July 2010. Her two primary opponents each spent slightly more than $2.5 million each.[38] When the Republican primary was held on August 10, frontrunner and party-endorsed candidate McMahon defeated Simmons and Schiff to become the official GOP nominee for the fall election against Richard Blumenthal.[4]
On March 2, 2010, Republican candidates Linda McMahon, Rob Simmons, and Peter Schiff participated in the first debate of the GOP campaign onFox 61.[39]
| Poll source | Dates administered | Rob Simmons | Linda McMahon | Peter Schiff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000[40] | September 8–10, 2009 | 38% | –– | 1% |
| Quinnipiac[41] | September 10–14, 2009 | 43% | –– | 2% |
| Quinnipiac[42] | November 3–8, 2009 | 28% | 17% | 5% |
| Moore Information[43] | December 15–16, 2009 | 35% | 37% | 4% |
| Quinnipiac[26] | January 8–12, 2010 | 37% | 27% | 4% |
| Quinnipiac[27] | March 9–15, 2010 | 34% | 44% | 9% |
| Research 2000[44] | May 24–26, 2010 | 44% | 48% | –– |
| Quinnipiac[45] | May 24–25, 2010 | 23% | 49% | 11% |
| Quinnipiac[46] | June 2–8, 2010 | 29% | 45% | 13% |
| Quinnipiac[47] | July 7–13, 2010 | 25% | 52% | 13% |
| Quinnipiac[48] | July 28 – August 2, 2010 | 30% | 47% | 14% |
| Quinnipiac[49] | August 3–8, 2010 | 28% | 50% | 15% |
Convention
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda McMahon* | 737 | 51.76% | |
| Republican | Rob Simmons* | 632 | 44.62% | |
| Republican | Peter Schiff | 44 | 3.11% | |
| Republican | Vincent Forras | 7 | 0.49% | |
| Republican | Ethan Book | 0 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 1,414 | 100.00% | ||
* Denotes candidate met the minimum threshold of 15 percent to appear on the primary ballot
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda McMahon | 60,479 | 49.44% | |
| Republican | Rob Simmons* | 34,011 | 27.80% | |
| Republican | Peter Schiff** | 27,831 | 22.75% | |
| Total votes | 122,321 | 100.00% | ||
* Rob Simmons suspended his campaign on May 25, 2010 but left his name on the ballot.[52] On July 29, he re-entered the race.[53]
** Peter Schiff collected 10,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot via petition.[54]
Two months prior to the general election, observers projected a "vicious contest" due to national committees having to focus attention and resources on Blumenthal's campaign due to revelations made in May that he had served inVietnam during theVietnam War (in reality, he had served in theMarine Corps Reserves for six years while receiving multiple deferments that kept him out of Vietnam).[55] In contrast, McMahon was being labeled as CEO of WWE where "under her watch, violence was peddled to kids [and] steroid abuse was rampant".[56] While Blumenthal's lead in the polls plummeted to three points in September, he was billed as being up by 12 points in October. By election day, McMahon was reported as having spent over $40 million on her campaign (roughly over nine times the amount of Blumenthal), which was more money spent than any other Senate candidate that year. Despite this, Blumenthal was viewed by voters in exit polls as "honest and trustworthy" based on his prior record that proved more attractive to voters than McMahon's billing as a successful businesswoman; the two candidates essentially split the independent vote while Blumenthal won the female vote and McMahon narrowly won the male vote.[57][58]
The first debate between Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal in the 2010 Senate race occurred on October 4, 2010,[62] moderated byFox News Channel anchorBret Baier and televised live onFox Connecticut. In the debate, McMahon identified Blumenthal as a career politician, touted her job creation record while CEO ofWorld Wrestling Entertainment, criticized Washington partisanship for Republicans not being invited to the negotiating table duringhealthcare reform discussions in Congress, and stated that remainingstimulus dollars were a waste that should now be used to pay down debt.[62] Blumenthal as well criticized partisanship, saying that he would have sided with Republicans who voted against theTroubled Assets Relief Program.[62] He also used the debate to argue that middle class tax cuts should not have to wait for current tax rates on top income earners to be extended, stated that he would oppose special interests in Washington, and criticized McMahon for outsourcing WWE products overseas.[62]
The Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and Business Council of Fairfield County sponsored a second debate inNorwalk on October 7. It was aired onNews 12 Connecticut.[63]
A third debate between McMahon and Blumenthal was held on October 12,[64] aired onWTNH sister network MyTV9.
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[65] | Lean D | October 26, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[66] | Likely D | October 22, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[67] | Lean D | October 26, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[68] | Lean D | October 21, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[69] | Lean D | October 26, 2010 |
| Poll source | Dates administered | Richard Blumenthal (D) | Linda McMahon (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[70] | January 4–5, 2010 | 60% | 28% |
| Rasmussen Reports[71] | January 6, 2010 | 58% | 34% |
| YouGovPolimetrix[72] | January 6–11, 2010 | 47% | 35% |
| Quinnipiac[26] | January 8–12, 2010 | 64% | 23% |
| Daily Kos/Research 2000[73] | January 11–13, 2010 | 56% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports[74] | February 1, 2010 | 56% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports[75] | March 2, 2010 | 60% | 31% |
| Quinnipiac[27] | March 9–15, 2010 | 61% | 28% |
| Rasmussen Reports[76] | April 7, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports[77] | May 4, 2010 | 52% | 39% |
| Rasmussen Reports[78] | May 18, 2010 | 48% | 45% |
| Quinnipiac[45] | May 24–25, 2010 | 56% | 31% |
| Daily Kos/Research 2000[79] | May 24–26, 2010 | 52% | 33% |
| Rasmussen Reports[80] | June 1, 2010 | 56% | 33% |
| Quinnipiac[46] | June 2–8, 2010 | 55% | 35% |
| Quinnipiac[47] | July 7–13, 2010 | 54% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports[81] | July 15, 2010 | 53% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac[48] | July 28 – August 2, 2010 | 50% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports[82] | August 11, 2010 | 47% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports[83] | September 9, 2010 | 53% | 44% |
| Quinnipiac[84] | September 8–12, 2010 | 51% | 45% |
| Quinnipiac[85] | September 21–26, 2010 | 49% | 46% |
| Rasmussen Reports[86] | September 26, 2010 | 50% | 45% |
| Public Policy Polling[87] | September 30 – October 2, 2010 | 53% | 41% |
| CNN/Time/Opinion Research[88] | October 1–5, 2010 | 54% | 41% |
| Fox News/Pulse Opinion Research[89] | October 2, 2010 | 52% | 42% |
| Greenberg Quinlan Rosner[90] | October 3–4, 2010 | 53% | 38% |
| CT Capitol Report/Merriman River Group[91] | October 3, 2010 | 52% | 45% |
| Rasmussen Reports[92] | October 5, 2010 | 54% | 43% |
| Fox News/Pulse Opinion Research[89] | October 9, 2010 | 49% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac[93] | October 7–11, 2010 | 54% | 43% |
| Rasmussen Reports[94] | October 14, 2010 | 51% | 46% |
| Suffolk University[95] | October 19–20, 2010 | 57% | 39% |
| Quinnipiac University[96] | October 18–24, 2010 | 54% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Reports[97] | October 24, 2010 | 56% | 43% |
| CT Capitol Report/Merriman River Group[98] | October 24–26, 2010 | 52% | 44% |
| Public Policy Polling[99] | October 27–29, 2010 | 54% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac University[100] | October 25–31, 2010 | 53% | 44% |
| Rasmussen Reports[101] | October 31, 2010 | 53% | 46% |
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Blumenthal (D) | $8,690,397 | $8,663,221 | $27,176 | $2,621,525 | November 22, 2010 |
| Linda McMahon (R) | $50,232,567 | $49,942,727 | $289,839 | $500,000 | November 22, 2010 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Blumenthal | 605,204 | 52.48% | −13.88% | |
| Working Families | Richard Blumenthal | 30,836 | 2.68% | N/A | |
| Total | Richard Blumenthal | 636,040 | 55.16% | -11.20% | |
| Republican | Linda E. McMahon | 498,341 | 43.22% | +11.08% | |
| Independent | Warren B. Mosler | 11,275 | 0.98% | N/A | |
| Connecticut for Lieberman | John Mertens | 6,735 | 0.58% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 724 | 0.06% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 1,153,115 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| County | Richard Blumenthal Democratic | Linda McMahon Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 146,926 | 51.6% | 134,242 | 47.15% | 3,555 | 1.24% | 284,723 |
| Hartford | 168,891 | 58.44% | 115,628 | 40.01% | 4,459 | 1.55% | 288,978 |
| Litchfield | 32,824 | 44.98% | 38,888 | 53.29% | 1,267 | 1.73% | 72,979 |
| Middlesex | 36,258 | 55.44% | 27,991 | 42.8% | 1,150 | 1.76% | 65,399 |
| New Haven | 153,377 | 57.97% | 107,376 | 40.58% | 3,828 | 1.45% | 264,581 |
| New London | 49,286 | 57.36% | 34,810 | 40.51% | 1,832 | 2.13% | 85,928 |
| Tolland | 28,638 | 53.11% | 24,148 | 44.78% | 1,137 | 2.11% | 53,923 |
| Windham | 19,840 | 55.3% | 15,258 | 42.53% | 782 | 2.18% | 35,880 |
| Total | 636,040 | 55.16% | 498,341 | 43.22% | 18,734 | 1.62% | 1,153,115 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Blumenthal won all five congressional districts.[104]
| District | Blumenthal | McMahon | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 59% | 39% | John B. Larson |
| 2nd | 55% | 43% | Joe Courtney |
| 3rd | 61% | 38% | Rosa DeLauro |
| 4th | 52% | 47% | Jim Himes |
| 5th | 50% | 49% | Chris Murphy |
Official campaign websites
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