Linda McMahon’s Downfall? Voters’ Party Loyalty

Despite spending more than $40 million in her campaign against Chris Murphy, and painting herself as an independent and moderate, Republican Linda McMahon once again was defeated in her bid for Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seat. In an op-ed in The Hartford Courant, Assistant Professor of Government Logan Dancey writes that McMahon’s loss is reflective of a larger, nationwide decline in split-ticket voting. That is, voters now are much more loyal to one party, and less likely to choose candidates for President and Congress that belong to different political parties.