Now that lobbying has become a dirty word in elections across the nation, candidates are thrilled to tie their opponents to the lobbying industry.
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Linda McMahon, has already gotten burned by her statement that the company she used to lead, World Wrestling Entertainment, didn't spend "lobbying dollars in Washington." (In fact, it has spent over $1 million since 1999.)
But Washington isn't the only place where WWE has retained the services of lobbyists. WWE spent hundreds of thousands of dollars more to lobby state legislatures and public officials across the nation, including those in Hartford, according to filings with the Connecticut Office of State Ethics.
For the calendar years of 2007 and 2008, WWE had the well-connected Hartford lobbying firm of Sullivan & LeShane on a $6,000 monthly retainer, according to the filings. The company employed Patricia LeShane, Patrick Sullivan and James Desantos to lobby officials at the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Revenue Services on "entertainment, movie tax credits,'' the filings state.