McMahon releases tax returns ahead of Connecticut primary

Linda McMahon, a Republican candidate for the open Connecticut U.S. Senate seat, released tax returns showing she paid $4.7 million in federal taxes on $30.6 million in income in 2010.

McMahon is the husband of wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, the president and CEO of the WWE. McMahon did not release records from 2011, saying she had filed for an extension on those returns while waiting for documents related to her investment income, according to the Associated Press.

McMahon's tax returns became a point of contention during a debate Wednesday with former Rep. Chris Shays (R-Ct.), the final forum featuring both candidates before the Aug. 14 GOP primary. During the debate, McMahon would not commit to releasing her 2010 returns.

Shays told the AP that McMahon still refusing to give a timeframe for when her 2011 returns would be released "calls into question her integrity.’’

The winner of the Republican primary is likely to face Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.) in the November contest to replace retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.). Murphy first has to survive a Democratic primary challenge from Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz. 

Tax returns have been a potent political question of late on the campaign trail, with President Barack Obama pressuring his Republican rival Mitt Romney to release additional years' worth of returns. So far, Romney has only released records through 2010.

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