McMahon Wary of Simmons ... Even Though He Said He Stopped Running

Former Rep. Rob Simmons dropped his bid to run for retiring Sen. Chris Dodd's seat in Connecticut after losing out to Linda McMahon at the state Republican convention, but McMahon is apparently worried he's still running. Hotline OnCall's Reid Wilson reports:

Ex-Rep. Rob Simmons (R) may have suspended his CT SEN bid, but ex-WWE CEO Linda McMahon (R) still sees evidence that Simmons is pursuing the state's GOP nomination.

"It's hard to imagine why he's left his name on the ballot," McMahon said of Simmons, in an interview with The Hotline yesterday. "I think he's hoping that I will fail, and that there are some -- that there would be some opportunity for him to reenergize his campaign and get back in. I think the public may be starting to grow a little restless relative to that stand at this point."

Simmons collected 46% at the state Republican convention and initially said he's keep pursuing a bid, but soon recanted, "suspending" his campaign and ceasing campaign activity, but not ending his bid completely. There wasn't much love lost between Simmons and McMahon: Simmons told The National Review that he doesn't think McMahon can win the general election, he won't be helping her on the trail, and she won the state GOP's endorsement for one reason: "money"; Simmons later apologized in an interview with Politico, calling his statements "harsh."

McMahon, Simmons, and economist/pundit/Tea Party favorite Peter Schiff will all appear on the GOP ballot in the state's August 10 primary.