McMahon is closing in, even though she is an inherently weak candidate — covered with the sleaze of her wrestling empire, woefully ignorant of public policy, far removed from ordinary voters, and rejected by 51 percent of Republican primary voters.

So how is she gaining?

Simple. Blumenthal is an even weaker candidate. He is a man who has served the public well but who has even less to say than McMahon and gives an impression of total obsequiousness as a candidate: Whatever you want me to be, I will be.

But after all these years Blumenthal should know that voters hate that. A politician who has no respect for himself will get no respect from them.