Linehan Says Pagano Campaign Doctored Photo for Mailer

The incumbent candidate seeking re-election for state representative in the 103rd district said a photo showing her with Gov. Dannel Malloy was manipulated by her opponent’s campaign.

Democratic state representative Liz Linehan told NBC Connecticut she is fired up over a campaign mailer that voters began receiving this week. It was paid for by Diane Pagano’s campaign and approved by the Republican candidate. Linehan said the original photo was taken with candidate for attorney general, William Tong. She said the shirt and tie in both images are identical, but it appeared only the governor’s head was manipulated into the photo.

“I knew exactly the photo that they had doctored, so as soon as I saw that I said that’s me with my friend William,” Linehan said. “They must have stolen it off of Facebook.”

The 103rd district serves Cheshire, Southington and Wallingford.

“I have run a campaign, a good, clean campaign about the issues,” Linehan said.

NBC Connecticut stopped by Pagano’s Cheshire home on Tuesday afternoon and called her, but she declined an interview, instead releasing a statement, which said in part “Liz Linehan's claim about my mailer is a flimsy, if not ridiculous attempt to attract media coverage that would deflect from the issues-based points it raised.”

Linehan did not reach out to NBC Connecticut about the mailer. The station contacted her after seeing a post on social media.

Pagano’s statement went on to say “...Representative Linehan, like her party colleagues who control the House, understand their grip on the legislature is under threat.”

See Pagano's full statement below.

Pagano did not address Linehan’s concerns over what she claims is a doctored photo. Linehan said she trusts her constituents will re-elect her next Tuesday despite an attempt to smear her campaign.

“People won’t put up with this anymore. We see too much of it on the federal level and it’s not right for Connecticut.”

"Representative Liz Linehan's claim about my mailer is a flimsy, if not ridiculous attempt to attract media coverage that would deflect from the issues-based points it raised. For example, representative Linehan in her facebook post takes credit for voting to restore the medicare savings plan. But what she failed to tell the residents of the 103rd district is that she voted to cut the program to begin with. Representative Linehan described reductions to the state's workforce, but failed to tell her constituents that she cost the state millions of dollars by voting for roughly 25 judges our state cannot afford. Representative Linehan's attempt to bully me through the media, and through harassing calls from her supporters, follows the path walked all too often by majority party legislators who say one thing at home but act entirely different in Hartford. Representative Linehan, like her party colleagues who control the house, understand their grip on the legislature is under threat. They will do anything to maintain that control."