Blumenthal slams McMahon on WWE and steroids

Connecticut Democratic Senate nominee Richard Blumenthal is finally going after GOP rival Linda McMahon's ties to World Wrestling Entertainment, accusing the former CEO in a new TV ad of "putting profits before people."

The ad, which is Blumenthal's most negative spot yet in the race, marks the first time the Democrat has raised the broader cultural implications of McMahon's tenure at the WWE. Previously, Blumenthal has attacked McMahon for laying off WWE workers while she got a raise. But he had steared clear of allegations involving poor treatment of WWE performers and other controversies that have gotten much attention in Connecticut papers.

In his latest spot, Blumenthal repeats the business argument but adds a new dimension to his case, accusing McMahon of paying lobbyists to help her "duck taxes, kill steroid and drug testing laws and avoid health and safety protections for her workers."

You can watch the new Blumenthal ad after the jump:

Of course, McMahon isn't taking the new attack theme lightly. Less than a week after running into trouble over questions on the minimum wage, McMahon is out with a damaging ad suggesting Blumenthal doesn't know how to create jobs.

The spot replays footage from last week's debate between the pair, when McMahon asked Blumenthal, point blank, "How do you create a job?" Blumenthal answered with a windy and somewhat vague response. "A job is created, and it can be in variety of ways, by a variety of people, but principally through people and businesses in response to demand for products and services," he replied.

His response is overlaid with text, including the message "Why can't Dick Blumenthal answer the question?"

You can watch the McMahon ad here:

Recent polls in the race have Blumenthal with a roughly 10 point lead over McMahon. But Democrats aren't taking any chances in the race. Last week, the party spent $500,000 on a TV ad attacking McMahon on Blumenthal's behalf. Sources say Senate Democrats have reserved another $2 million in ad time in the final weeks of the campaign, just in case McMahon begins to surge in the race — as she did recently. The former WWE chief has spent more than $24 million of her own cash in the race, and she has suggested that she's willing to spend as much as $50 million.

(Screenshot of Blumenthal ad)