No-Holds-Barred Fight: Connecticut Senate Race Tightens

Photo Courtesy - Getty ImagesIt was supposed to be an easy win in Connecticut -- holding the blue-state Senate seat held by Democrats for almost 50 years, but things went off-script when a former wrestling CEO won the Republican nomination. Now the seat is a must-win for Democrats if they want to keep control of the Senate, and the Democratic candidate, a popular state attorney general who hopes to succeed Sen. Chris Dodd, is facing a tough, well-funded opponent with whom he is locked in a no-holds-barred battle.

Recent polls show Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic candidate, and Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, locked in a tight race.

ABC News asked McMahon, who is running for office on her business expertise, how she would work to reduce the U.S. deficit.

"The reason I've not been specific as to particular programs and I've dealt with it in terms of rolling back non-defense discretionary spending to 2008 levels because that was an approach that I took as a CEO. You look at, OK, how are you going to cut costs and cut expenses? You can look at a 10 percent cut across the board," she said.

McMahon also said that the U.S. should freeze federal hiring and wages and take "the balance of the stimulus money and pay down the debt."

If McMahon wins, she will be the first Republican in that Senate seat since 1963.

"We've said from the beginning that this would be a tight, tough, competitive race,” Blumenthal said. “A negative [TV] attack is bound to narrow the polls and we expected it, it's happened.”

Part of Blumenthal's difficulties have stemmed from statements he made claiming to have served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It turns out he served in the Marine Corps Reserves stateside and never went to Vietnam during his tour of duty.

"I have answered the question about Vietnam saying that I am sorry that I inaccurately described my military record,” the Democratic candidate said. “I am proud of having served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and I think the voters of Connecticut are concerned about the real issues," he told ABC News.

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