Attorney General Richard Blumenthal spoke like a Senator-elect when he took the podium on Tuesday night, and said he welcomes help from Republicans once he heads to Washington.
Everyday, Blumenthal said, he hears that people do not think that Washington is listening.
“I am listening and I will make Washington listen to Connecticut,” Blumenthal said. “And that means middle class tax cuts now.”
He also said he favors green technology and green jobs and welcomes help from his opponent, Republican former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, and other Repubicans.
McMahon is conceding just after 10 p.m.
McMahon conceded and told him she is giving her support after single-handedly outspending not only any other Congressional candidate in the country, but also any slate of candidates in this election season. She vowed to spend up to $50 million of her own money.
“I’m not going to fade into the woodwork. You are probably going to see me around,” she said. “We should all be proud we made Washington listen.”
She said it is important to support the people the voters chose.
"If you're ready to stay, I'm ready to party down," she said.
Blumenthal withstood an advertising onslaught funded by McMahon's personal fortune and survived a scare last spring when it was reported that he falsely claimed or implied on repeated occasions that he served in Vietnam.
Last spring, The New York Times reported that he repeatedly told audiences he served in Vietnam, when he actually remained stateside with the Marine Reserve. He told voters he "misspoke" and never intended to mislead anyone.
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The McMahon camp boasted that it was responsible for the story and called Blumenthal a liar, but the controversy all but died down.
For her part, McMahon was dogged by questions about her role at World Wrestling Entertainment, a company she and her husband, Vince McMahon, transformed into a global behemoth that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
In the final month of the campaign, Blumenthal and other Democrats ran TV ads accusing McMahon of being a bad CEO who didn't care about the welfare of her employees. Her critics also made an issue of steroid abuse in pro wrestling and the WWE's raunchy shows.
Just minutes after Blumenthal became the projected winner, the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and a union sent out congratulations messages.
"Senator-elect Blumenthal’s opponent spent upwards of $50 million on this race, yet at the end of the day, Connecticut voters went with the candidate who has fought for them for decades," the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in a statement. "As Attorney General, Dick Blumenthal took on big insurance companies to control costs, big energy companies when they tried to develop in Long Island Sound, and big tobacco companies to stop them from marketing to children. I have no doubt he’ll take this same reforming spirit to the U.S. Senate, where he will be a vigilant watchdog for Connecticut families.”
The Service Employees International Union issued a statement congratulating Blumenthal.
“For over twenty years, Richard Blumenthal has been one of the strongest voices for working people in the state. By electing Richard, working families made a clear statement today that we want independent leadership that will fight for a fair economy and stand up to big, corporate interests,” SEIU said in a statement.
Check all the results on our elections results page.
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