McMahon defeats Shays in GOP primary for U.S. Senate - WFSB 3 Connecticut

Ex-wrestling executive Linda McMahon has defeated former United States Rep. Chris Shays in Connecticut's primaries, according to the Associated Press.

McMahon sought the Republican nomination and redemption for her loss in 2010 to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal after spending $50 million of her own money.

Shays, a moderate Republican, argued that McMahon was unqualified for the job, but McMahon accused Shays of being a career politician.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a statement after the Associated Press declared McMahon the winner and said, "Linda McMahon is a greedy CEO who made millions marketing sex and violence to little kids, all at the expense of the health and safety of her own employees.  If her business record wasn't bad enough, her support for the reckless Romney-Ryan agenda that would essentially end Medicare in order to give billionaires more tax cuts would be devastating for Connecticut's middle class. Everything about McMahon's record, principles and agenda prove that she is wrong for Connecticut. There isn't enough money in the world to convince Connecticut voters otherwise." 

Only about 7 to 8 percent of the state's 1.1 million registered Democrats and Republicans had voted by midday in hotly contested races for the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, said Av Harris, a spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Unaffiliated voters couldn't cast ballots because of state party rules.

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Copyright 2012 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.