Bad news for a good guy:
Rob Simmons ended his campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate today, comparing a run against Linda McMahon’s money to the futility of Pickett’s Charge during the Civil War.
“As somebody interested in military history, it was a foolish waste of people and resources, with a tremendously demoralizing outcome,” said Simmons, a retired Army officer and Vietnam veteran.
Simmons . . . will leave his name on the Republican primary ballot, leaving no doubt that an endorsement of McMahon will not be forthcoming. . . .
McMahon, who had contributed $16 million to her campaign by May 1, is on pace to break all campaign spending records in the state by the Fourth of July. She says she has budgeted $50 million of her personal fortune in an effort to become the first Connecticut Republican to win a Senate race since Lowell P. Weicker Jr. in 1982.
Simmons, who won 46 percent of the delegate vote Friday night at the Republican State Convention, said today he had every right to wage a primary.
“Speaking for myself and my family, however, we understand the mathematical reality of competing against an opponent with unlimited financial resources,” Simmons said. . . . “This is not an easy decision. This is not a happy decision. But I believe it is the right decision.”
Make no mistake about my sympathies: Simmons would have been the better match-up against the fake-hero Blumenthal. And McMahon’s self-funding strategy isn’t exactly going to help the GOP shake the “party of the rich” label. Nevertheless, once the primary is over, Simmons and McMahon really ought to mend the breach for the fall campaign. One more “R” in the Senate has got to be worth something.
(Note to commenters: No fair using this argument in favor of supporting John McCain. That son of a bitch has got to go.)
