Critics of Republican Linda McMahon like to focus on the millions she is spending in her effort to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Her opponent, Democrat Richard Blumenthal is hardly a pauper but he has yet to pour his own millions into his campaign.
However his family has been extraordinarily generous to the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee. According documents on file with the Federal Election Commission, Blumenthal's wife and the couple's four children appear to have each given $10,000 to the party in June.
Meanwhile, Isabel Malkin and Peter Malkin also handed over $10,000 each to the party, according to the filing. Blumenthal is married to the former Cynthia Malkin and Peter Malkin, her father, is chairman of Malkin Holdings LLC, which controls the Empire State Building.
The state party has been leading the attacks on Linda McMahon, allowing Blumenthal to assume the high road and not indulge in all that ugly political mudslinging. Indeed, nearly all of the negative comments about McMahon and her wrestling background have come not from Blumenthal but from the state or national party.
While the Blumenthal campaign has expressed pride that their ads have all been positive, focusing on the AG's image as a fighter for the people of Connecticut, the state party has delved into the trenches. It's funding Moms Opposing McMahon, the group behind the latest web ad attacking the GOP nominee. The party is also paying the salary of the young tracker who trails McMahon's every move.
"It's very clear that Dick Blumenthal's strategy all along has been to hide in his bunker while quietly funneling money from his estate to fund negative attacks against Linda McMahon,'' McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said. "He's been both dishonest and cowardly, and frankly, I don't think that comes as a shock to anyone at this point."