The degree to which Linda McMahon’s U.S. campaign relies on consultants and well-paid staffers in evident in her 4th quarter campaign finance statement, filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.
McMahon, a Republican multi-millionaire seeking the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Chris Dodd, spent tens of thousands of dollars on consultants, according to her filing. For instance, she paid a Tallahassee, Fla. firm more than $120,000 to conduct voter identification research in November and December. The Hartford firm of Sullivan and LeShane took in about $170,000 for “political strategy consulting,” the campaign reports.
UPDATE: “I’ll remind you that Linda is spending money on this campaign that she earned herself through hard work,” McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said. “And her decision to fund this campaign herself and not take a penny of special interest money ensures that voters will have an independent voice in washington who is fighting for the people of the state of connecticut and nobody else. She takes this campaign seriously, and she’s put together an operation that reflects her level of commitment.
The $280,000 annual salary earned by McMahon’s campaign manager, David Cappiello, has already been documented. But several of McMahon’s other staffers are earning plush paychecks as well. Suzan Bibisi, who happens to be married to state Republican Chairman Chris Healy, drew checks totalling more than $13,700 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31, according to the report. Patru, is earning about $9,600 a month.
And it isn’t just the consultants and campaign workers who are cashing in on McMahon’s run.
Everyone from plumbers and electronics retailers to security firms and web designers are getting business from the campaign.
The filing shows that the campaign is paying $8,570 a month in rent for its prime, high-visibility office space on Farmington Avenue. (The office rental fee doesn’t include the $7,400 rental payments to World Wrestling Entertainment, where McMahon formerly served as CEO.)
The campaign also wrote checks for more than $7,800 to the town of West Hartford to cover the cost of parking