Simmons ends campaign for US Senate seat in Conn. but keeps name on Republican primary ballot

Simmons ends campaign for Senate seat in Conn.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons ended his campaign in the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut on Tuesday but said his name will remain on the Republican primary ballot alongside Linda McMahon, who has the support of party leaders.

Simmons said he understood the “mathematical reality” of competing against the bankroll of the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive. McMahon has pledged to spend $50 million of her own money on the race to succeed retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd.

“It’s an unbelievable amount of dough,” Simmons said during an interview on WXLM-FM in New London. “And that, I think, has just twisted people into thinking that the money is going to buy the race. And so, what the heck, let’s shut it down and let’s move forward.”

A spokesman for McMahon said her campaign was working on a statement about Simmons.

McMahon narrowly outpolled Simmons at the GOP convention Friday — just days after McMahon’s camp took credit for research that aided a New York Times report that the front-runner in the race, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, had distorted his Vietnam-era military service record.

But Simmons earned enough delegates to automatically qualify for the Aug. 10 primary ballot.

“Forty-six percent of my fellow Republicans at the convention supported my campaign,” Simmons said at a news conference at a New London hotel. “I believe I owe them the choice, but let me repeat I am curtailing campaign activities. I am releasing my staff.”

Simmons also said he is ending fundraising efforts, which he said were harmed by his being outpolled by McMahon.

Simmons said he was disappointed with the outcome of the convention because he thought his experience would help him. The decorated Vietnam veteran served three terms in the U.S. House before losing the 2006 election by just 83 votes to Democrat Joe Courtney.

A third Republican in the race, Fairfield County money manager Peter Schiff, said in a statement Tuesday that he looks forward to a two-person campaign against McMahon and he intends to win. Schiff says he will petition his way onto the primary ballot.

Democrats have nominated Blumenthal, the state attorney general, despite the controversy over the misstatements.

Blumenthal apologized this week but said his mistakes were unintentional. He said he misspoke when he said on several occasions that he served “in” Vietnam instead of “during” Vietnam with the Marine Reserve, where he was stationed stateside during the war.