Beginning with the historic retirement announcement by U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, which resulted in an open senate seat in the state of Connecticut, Gary Rose tracks every facet of the tough and exceptionally hard-fought senatorial campaign that unfolded in Connecticut during election year 2012. The candidates who contested their party's nomination, the party nominating conventions, primary elections, and the general election that pitted Congressman Christopher Murphy (Democrat) against the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment Linda McMahon (Republican) are covered in extensive detail throughout this penetrating study. Murphy, regarded by election watchers as the ''heir apparent'' to Lieberman's seat, unexpectedly found himself locked in an intense political struggle against a fearless candidate willing to use her private fortune to finance a highly sophisticated campaign. The result was a long, costly, and brutal fight for votes, clearly one of the most combative and bitterly fought elections in the history of Connecticut politics.

Table of contents: Foreword / by John Kenneth White -- The End of an Era -- The Democratic Nominating Contest -- The Republican Nominating Contest -- The General Election : Sheer Brutality -- The Election Results and Analysis -- Final Reflections.