Connecticut voters throw McMahon out of ring

Pro wrestling’s Linda McMahon was taken down in Connecticut and two former NBA centers went before voters on an Election Day when sports and politics crossed paths.

Chris Dudley, who built a long NBA career despite abysmal foul shooting, lost his bid to became governor of Oregon, falling to Democrat John Kitzhaber in a race too close to call until Wednesday night. The race was among the most prominent of the some two dozen across the country featuring sports figures.

Dudley, 6-foot-11 center from Yale who once played for the Portland Trail Blazers, drew on his NBA connections, including Commissioner David Stern.

Shawn Bradley, a 7-6 former BYU star who spent 12 years in the NBA, lost his bid for a spot in the Utah Legislature on Tuesday night. He was defeated by state Rep. Tim Cosgrove, a Democrat.

McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who presented herself as a shrewd businesswoman, was beaten for the U.S. Senate seat by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Throughout the Republican primary and general election, McMahon was questioned about the WWE’s role in steroids, the health of the wrestlers and the way wrestling portrays women.

McMahon and husband Vince McMahon turned what was once a marginal enterprise into a cash-rich empire. She besieged the state with ads and is believed to have spent at least $50 million of her money on her campaign. Now, she’s wary of a return to wrestling.

“You can’t step out of WWE and expect to come back in because it moves forward and it’s moving forward at a great pace,” she said.

“I wouldn’t try to step back in there.”

Heath Shuler, the former quarterback for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints, was re-elected to Congress from North Carolina in an important race for Democrats.

Shuler, part of the conservative Blue Dog coalition, held off Republican Jeff Miller in a campaign in which the football star tried to show where he broke with his party’s leadership.

Republican Jon Runyan, a former Eagles lineman who spent 14 years in the NFL, defeated Democrat John Adler in a tight U.S. House race in New Jersey.

Republican Jason Chaffetz, who once kicked 10 extra points in a game for BYU, was re-elected to Congress from Utah.

Alan Page, the Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Minnesota Vikings, kept his seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court.