Topic: Linda McMahon

Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards) (born October 4, 1948) is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational. Linda and her husband became wealthy through the WWE's success, and the McMahon family name is now synonymous with the wrestling industry. As President and later CEO of the company, she negotiated business deals, launched wrestling merchandise, signed wrestler contracts, and managed and wrote for WWE publications. She also started the company's civic programs, Get REAL and Smackdown Your Vote. McMahon has occasionally performed in the ring, most notably in a wrestling feud with her husband which climaxed at WrestleMania 17.

McMahon left WWE in 2009 to run for U.S. Senator of Connecticut. She won the Republican primary and faced Democrat Richard Blumenthal. At one point in the campaign, she approached within 3 points of Blumenthal, but she lost on election day by 11%. McMahon spent over $50 million of her own money on the campaign.

McMahon was born Linda Marie Edwards to Henry and Evelyn Edwards in New Bern, North Carolina. She was an only child and grew up as a "jock", playing basketball and baseball. Her parents were both employees Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, a military base. She was raised in a traditional, conservative family and attended Catholic Mass regularly. During one Mass, Edwards, at the age of 13, happened to meet Vince McMahon, then 16. Her mother worked in the same building as McMahon's mother, although they had not met.