Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

McMahon finds support on tour of New Haven businesses

  • by Uma Ramiah
  • September 24, 2010
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

NEW HAVEN – The Fair Haven section of  the city isn’t exactly a Republican stronghold, but Linda McMahon was warmly welcomed as she took her U.S. Senate campaign on a tour of local businesses.

“She’s new blood, and she’s got a lot of experience in business,” said Orlando Rivera, an employee at Italy’s Best Pizza on Grand Avenue, after a brief visit from McMahon Thursday. Rivera said he tends to vote Democrat, but is undecided on the Senate race and considering McMahon. “She doesn’t have to do this,” he said, referring to her personal fortune, “but she’s doing it because she loves it.”

McMahon on tour 9-24-10

Linda McMahon greets an employee at a grocery in Fairhaven (Uma Ramiah)

The Republican nominee has spent millions of her own money in Connecticut, spreading the message that she’ll support small business if she’s elected.  In person and on television, McMahon regularly refers to her own business acumen as part of the husband-wife team that built the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment empire.

Fair Haven residents, gathered to watch the tour, were generally supportive. This section of New Haven, a largely Latino neighborhood, tends to vote Democrat. But whether it was the celebrity presence of the former head of the WWE or her stated policies, locals were enthusiastic about McMahon.

“Whether you’re selling chips, or whether you’re providing another kind of product that people have to buy tickets for,” McMahon said during a stop at a corner beauty shop, “it’s about how you’re running your business and what kind of taxes you have to pay, and what regulations can impact you negatively in that business.”

McMahon spent just over an hour touring small businesses on the block, often exchanging greetings with workers and managers who spoke only Spanish.

“I’m really trying to become better known, in the Spanish community through outreach like this, just walking up and down the streets and saying hello. Then it becomes more of a recognition factor, and I think that’s important.”

McMahon acknowledged that her Hispanic outreach is hampered by the fact that she doesn’t speak Spanish. She also hadn’t heard of Elm City Resident Cards, issued to illegal immigrants for their protection and to allow access to certain services in New Haven. The cards are popular in the neighborhood, but McMahon was firm about her policy on immigration.

“I think you need to be here as someone who has abided by the laws, or you’re an illegal immigrant so you have to abide by the laws of the land.”

Still, many of the residents she visited had taken her campaign’s messages to heart. Immy Khan, a contractor working with his wife to build a dentist’s office on Grand Avenue, sounded one of McMahon’s favorite criticisms of Democratic nominee, Richard Blumenthal: “He’s been in politics, while she’s been on the forefront of business. She has a better understanding of what our needs are because she’s been there.”

Khan, a resident of Hamden, said he and his wife had trouble finding the capital necessary to start their small business. McMahon, he thinks, will provide relief to people like them. “A person will do well if they’ve experienced it themselves,” he said.

Moussa Ugurlu, owner of another stop on the tour, a small technology retailer called TurqCell, said the issues affecting him were the income tax, the business climate in the state and health care. “I pay almost 33% income tax. If you combine with the state tax, that’s almost 40% of your income. That’s killer,” he said.

Ugurlu wasn’t sure he would vote for McMahon come November. “I’m still thinking about it, I’m checking her background,” he said. “But why not? We need someone doing good business. She was successful.”

Perhaps the most enthusiastic supporter of the day was Aaron Vignola, a 21-year-old hairdresser who encountered McMahon on her tour. Vignola, a fan of WWE since the age of 15, had a question about a WWE sketch in which McMahon fired an actor with some vigor: “Did you really kick that guy in the balls?”

“You know, WWE is scripted entertainment,” she said, laughing.

 

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Uma Ramiah

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
‘It’s a nightmare:’ A growing number of seniors are unable to book vaccine appointments as problems mount
by Dave Altimari and Jenna Carlesso

The state acknowledged Friday in an email to local health workers that some residents are waiting days for a callback.

Panel recommends small, inflationary pay hike for state officials
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut's part-time legislature hasn't received a pay hike since 2001. The annual base-pay for senators and representatives is $28,000.

Police task force seeks wider applicant pool for watchdog role
by Kelan Lyons

The task force sent four recommendations — and two that didn't get unanimous approval— to lawmakers for the 2021 session.

Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Opinion Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Opinion Connecticut’s $100 million college shell game
by Stephen Adair

The plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges in Connecticut into one college with 12 campuses is called “Students First,” which is ironic because it does not fund students first.  It funds a new administration in a new, statewide bureaucracy. The Board of Regents (BOR) and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system office […]

Opinion Inconsistent television captioning is a barrier to equal access
by Jeffrey Bravin and Barbara Cassin

Our world long ago entered the age of the 24-hour news cycle, and a full understanding of the “who, what, when, where and why” of the news is critical for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing citizens. Yet, Connecticut’s inconsistent quality of television captioning locks our community out of the complete sense of what is happening.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO