Campaign Notebook: Shays Blames Gun Violence Culture on TV, Games

Senate

Chris Shays questioned violence in video games and television shows, specifically mentioning the WWE, where opponent Linda McMahon was once an executive. He spoke with the editorial board of the Advocate in Stamford and the Greenwich Time.

“My opponent is into issues like brutality and so on," Shays said. "It's what we let our kids watch. We need a government conversation about it."

A spokesperson for Linda McMahon told the Greenwich Time that the candidate is proud of having built the company.

Third District

Rosa DeLauro (D): The House of Representatives passed the “Audit the Fed” bill by a 327-98 margin. DeLauro, along with Connecticut colleagues Jim Himes and John Larson, .

Wayne Winsley (R): The New Haven Independent reported on Winsley’s press conference criticizing a federal soda tax, which Rosa DeLauro said should be looked into for health reasons.

Fourth District

Jim Himes (D): A press release from Jim Himes’ campaign takes opponent Steve Obsitnik to task for apparently not revealing his opinion on if he’ll partake in “political brinkmanship” regarding the debt ceiling.

“Voters deserve to know if Steve Obsitnik believes that America should pay its bills on time or if he would drag this process through the mud and cost the nation billions and sacrifice our creditworthiness,” said Himes Campaign Manager Justin Myers.  “On this issue, just like every other, he remains silent.”

Steve Obsitnik (R) continues campaign around Fairfield County, with a recent stop at the Westport Metro-North train station according to his Facebook page.

Fifth District

The fallout from the alleged corruption of Chris Donovan’s campaign manager continues. Eight people so far have been arrested, from business owners to campaign workers, according to the Hartford Courant.

While Donovan was cleared of any wrongdoing according to a report, his opponents are criticizing him over the latest arrests.

"This case is not about party politics. Republicans, Democrats and Unaffiliated voters should be outraged that our state is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons," Mark Greenberg said in a statement. "Donovan's campaign has joined the list of offenders in Connecticut political corruption cases."

Second District

U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney (D) weighed in on the to everyone making less than $250,000 annually. In a press released he issued Courtney said the Senate's action “is the obvious solution to avoiding the fiscal cliff we will hit on January 1. Not only does the majority of the Senate support this pragmatic approach to reducing the deficit, but so does the overwhelming majority of Americans, according to numerous public polls. Rather than subjecting the country to another avoidable, self-induced crisis, Speaker Boehner should bring up this compromise for a vote and support it for the good of the country. He can do so with the knowledge that President Obama would sign it into law immediately.”  He said that according to the Treasury Department, the cuts would benefit 1.4 million middle-class families in Connecticut.

Paul Formica (R) has been making his way around the district this week. On Tuesday he was in Mansfield doing a bit of campaigning. Yesterday, he was out in Enfield waving signs and meeting voters. Last night he visited with the Old Saybrook Republican Town Committee.