Campaign Notebook: How Negative is the Senate Race?

Senate

Even the most casual of television viewers have probably noticed the glut of negative ads related to the Senate race between Chris Murphy and Linda McMahon. It might seem like civility is a thing of the past, but that’s not necessarily true.

The Connecticut Mirror interviewed Susan Herbst, author of “Rude Democracy” and president of the University of Connecticut for some historical context.

While the Senate ads criticizing the character of the candidates might seem rude, they pale in comparison to one event Herbst called “rock-bottom.”

According to the Connecticut Mirror:

And as the politics of sectionalism in the 1850s drove the United States toward the Civil War, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks viciously beat Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor after the latter referred to Brooks' relative, Sen. Andrew Butler, as a pimp trying to introduce the whore of slavery to Kansas.

Third District

Rosa DeLuaro (D) is leading a discussion on Saturday in Hartford titled “Connecticut Women: Change You Want to See.” The talk begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building.

Wayne Winsley (R) is calling for the suspension of state and federal gas taxes in order to keep fuel prices down. “Whether a person has a full-time job that they must commute to; or, a person is out of work but actively seeking a job; or, commuting to a part-time job; or, commuting to school; or, going to the grocery store to purchase food for their family – we need gasoline in the tank. That’s the reality,” Winsley said.