McMahon Calls For Fundraising ‘Help,’ Offers Up 100 Signed Baseball Caps

Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon’s campaign had four times as much money in its bank account as her Republican rival at the end of June–most of it from the candidate herself.

But McMahon’s camp says she needs a little bit more and they’re giving away autographed campaign memorabilia to some people who chip in.

In an email Monday afternoon with the single-world subject line “Help,” the campaign asks for a $15 donation and offers up signed campaign ball caps to the first 100 donors.

“The amount of support we have received so far is outstanding, but we need to keep the momentum going,” the email says. “It’s time to send a message to the career politicians that we are sick of their politics as usual, and we can’t do this without your help.”

Most of that support has come from McMahon. The campaign finished June with more than $1.4 million on hand, far more than Republican rival Chris Shays. McMahon herself has largely self-financed her Senate run so far, contributing and lending her campaign more than $8.8 million through the end of June.

Shays, a former congressman, has even made public appeals to voters to donate to his campaign by saying he can’t match the cash McMahon spend from the vast fortune she accumulated as the CEO of WWE.

In 2010, McMahon spent nearly $50 million in bid for the Senate in 2010. She lost the general election by about 12 points to Democratic attorney general Richard Blumenthal.

McMahon spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Monday that the former wrestling executive wants to avoid being controlled by large donors or special interest groups. But he said McMahon has also put more emphasis on raising money from small-dollar donors during this Senate campaign.

“The idea is that Linda’s campaign appeals to everybody. If folks want to be involved with her campaign, we welcome that,” he said. “She will not be captured by or party to anyone who will control her. She’s not going to be party to lobbyists or major
campaign donors. But if the grassroots types want to get involved, we welcome that.”

According to FEC records, McMahon has raised a total of about $660,654 from individuals, a total that accounts for less than 10 percent of her campaign’s receipts so far.

Murtaugh did not know how many of the signed baseball caps the campaign had given away to donors on Monday.