Four women featured in U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy’s new campaign ad told the media Monday that Murphy was a better candidate for U.S. Senate than Republican Linda McMahon because he is more reliable when it comes to the issues they care about.
“[Murphy] embraces the platform of the party, he embraces the issues that are important to women and his voting record speaks for itself,” Maria M. Alfonso, a Murphy supporter, said. “It’s past experience, we know what he’s going to do, with [McMahon] it’s ‘Believe me, trust me.’”
The women who spoke in the cramped National Organization for Women’s Hartford office, were neither part of NOW or the campaign, but were representing themselves and they were not actors as McMahon’s campaign had alleged.
Their concerns focused on both the images that the WWE—the wrestling corporation McMahon co-founded and ran—portray women and the reproductive rights of women.
“Those images are extremely demeaning to women,” Alfonso said. “It sets us back, not forward to not to be appreciated in our full plethora of everything that we have to offer. It tries to redefine women in a way that we thought we’ve gotten over that.”
The event seemed to be something of a response to the women’s rally McMahon held this weekend in Norwalk.
“The positions that Chris has taken over the years versus the positions that Linda would take if she was in the senate are anti-women across the board,” Alfonso said.
McMahon has maintained that she’s pro-choice, but her views on repealing the healthcare bill and her support of the Blunt amendment, have caused liberal groups to run to Murphy’s aid.
The four women said the female demographic McMahon is overlooking will play a determining factor in who wins the election and a seat in the senate.
“The women’s vote is going to be crucial. It’s been crucial in several elections, it will be crucial again and for women, every issue that women have fought for including our mothers, our grandmothers, is on the table again. It’s like we’re reliving this all over again,” Alfonso added.
Despite the criticisms the women leveled at McMahon, she increased in popularity among women by 31 points since 2010. One woman was confused as to how McMahon turned around her image among women.
“I don’t understand that jump because she’s the same person that she was two years ago,” Shannon Knall said.
McMahon’s campaign said the Democrats are using this anti-woman strategy to revive Murphy’s campaign.
“As part of the Democrats’ resuscitation strategy for Murphy’s lackluster campaign, they are going straight to Chapter 1 of the Party Playbook and employing the ‘attack your opponent for being anti-woman’ offense that is being utilized in contested races all across the country,” McMahon’s campaign said in a press release.
One woman told the media that McMahon has been doing her research and is rewriting the script in her second run for the U.S. Senate, but her history cannot be forgotten.
Christine Bartlett-Josie said McMahon had clearly done her homework and improved her campaign but said she would stick with Murphy since he had a strong voting record on women’s issues.
“I’m looking at Chris and Chris’ record and I know his record and what he stands and how he has worked tirelessly for women’s issues and women’s health,” Bartlett-Josie said.
McMahon lost her first run for U.S. Senate to former Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in 2010 after spending $50 million of her own money. She has spent about $15 million during this election cycle. Murphy has raised less than $6 million.
As for Murphy, he was not in attendance, but his campaign said he will be available to the media on Tuesday.