Ex-Wrestling Executive Wins G.O.P. Primary

Linda E. McMahon, a former wrestling executive, easily captured Connecticut’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday night, clinching a second chance to run for an office she failed to win two years ago.

In defeating Christopher Shays, a former United States representative and longtime fixture in moderate politics in the state, Ms. McMahon underscored the power of being an outside candidate, as well as a wealthy one. She outspent her opponent nearly 12 to 1, and flooded the airwaves with advertisements promoting herself as a political maverick who could bring common sense to Washington.