On the offense or making a last stand?

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Simmons held a press conference in Hartford Monday to blast his chief rival, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, over allegations that she tipped off a doctor under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, and sought to distance the WWE from him.A McMahon memo written years ago at the height of the investigation is the smoking gun -- but the question is, will this help his campaign for the GOP nomination. So far, the allegations of drug use within the WWE have not seemed to make a difference among voters in terms of how they view her candidacy.

Simmons, who was the early front-runner in the race, is now trailing McMahon in polls heading into the May conventions -- a critical point in thyi campaign since Simmons is on the record as saying that he doesn't win the convention endorsement, he's dropping out of the race and will not force a primary against McMahon. In the last Quinnipiac poll, McMahon surged to the front of the pack, and holds a 10-point lead over Simmons among likely Republican voters.

Simmons' candidacy did receive a bit of boost yesterday with a new poll shoing that he fares better against presumptive Democratic nominee Richard Blumenthal compared to the other GOP hopefuls, but still trails in a head-to-head matchup with the attorney general.