By Chris Newth, PWTorch political analyst

With all the national political discussion of the tea party and its ever-clenching grasp on the Republican primary results, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon has been flying under the radar as of late with a more stealthy, middle-of-the-road approach.

The contrast is stark. Tea party nominees around the country are representing sheer rage on the right as the movement waves through various races, clinching surprising nominations where none thought possible. McMahon, however, isn't playing to a livid conservative base; she's evoking a more light-hearted attempt at reaching out to voters.

In the past few weeks, McMahon has remained out of the national spotlight. The media has largely abandoned her race for U.S. Senate in Connecticut for the more colorful figures in American politics 2010: the disgruntled right and the subsequent candidates who have been pandering to that particular bloc of the electorate.

McMahon's strategy proves yet again her political prowess. Instead of harping on issues that fire up the extreme right - which works quite well in many southern states - McMahon's campaign depends more on softer punches meant to discourage the typical Connecticut vote. She certainly knows her state well. Becoming another tea party darling would isolate her influence and alienate the Connecticut independents who are vital to her electability.

Just look at Linda McMahon's take on President Obama and his campaigning for her general election opponent, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. About Obama, McMahon said, "I think President Obama, in my view, has fallen far short of what the expectation was when he became President. We are further in debt, our deficit has grown, unemployment has grown. From a leadership perspective, I think he has fallen short."

Fallen short? If that's not a tempered response about a man who is despised by diehard conservatives, I don't know what is. As for the substance of her claim, that is up for debate considering that unemployment has stubbornly been stuck around 9.6 percent for months, while job losses have consistently dropped from month to month since President Obama took office. The Washington Post also reports that the federal deficit has actually dropped eight percent in Obama's first fiscal year, denting the argument for many Republicans including McMahon.

About her current rival, Richard Blumenthal, Linda McMahon said, "He seems to be a pretty nice guy. ... I don't know him personally. I know of him. I have certainly seen his picture in newspapers and quotes and all of the press releases that have gone out over the years. He's very well-known, recognized around the state."

If you don't think that's much of an attack, you're not alone. McMahon has become a shrewd politician over the past few months. She recognizes her vulnerable position as the Republican candidate in the second most liberal state in the country. McMahon is avoiding fiery rhetoric because she knows she'd get burned. In other regions of the country, this tactic would be fatal to her campaign. But in Connecticut, it's the best solution to her precarious situation.

According to the latest Quinnipiac poll numbers, Linda McMahon is slowly inching up to her Democratic counterpart. The reason? She's not a hothead conservative with questionable policy stances and a strong fringe following, which is almost becoming stereotypical of some tea party candidates--namely Sharron Angle in Nevada, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, and Rand Paul in Kentucky.

McMahon is instead positioning herself as a respectable moderate. She isn't badmouthing Blumenthal or Obama personally, which is politically savvy considering their respective popularity in the state. And her focus on economic issues continues to grow traction. She may not be a robotic stamp for Republicans, but that's exactly what's making her such a strong contender in a state which would otherwise not have imagined a legitimate shot for Republican representation in the Senate.

PWTorch specialist Chris Newth is covering the political aspects of former WWE CEO Linda McMahon's U.S. Senate campaign. Newth can be reached at newthtorch@gmail.com.

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