The only man alive to serve as both Connecticut’s governor and U.S. senator is calling on Chris Murphy and Linda McMahon to focus on the issues instead of negative campaigning.   During a taping of Face the State, Lowell Weicker said he favors a transparent campaign, and told me both the Democrat and the Republican should release any papers related to their financial history, although he believes how the candidates handled their personal finances are irrelevant.

In Murphy’s case, reporters want to see any and all mortgage papers related to the controversy surrounding his missed mortgage payments.    Murphy has refused to allow reporters see the papers, and he won’t say how many payments he missed, and eventually paid.   In McMahon’s case, reporters are also on the hunt for her papers related to her bankruptcy in the 1970s and the creditors she owed.     McMahon says some of the papers have been destroyed, but she plans to repay any debts that may still be outstanding.

“Just let it out to whatever it is that’s there, I don’t think it makes a tinker’s dam to who should be the next U.S. senator,”   Weicker said, in his trademark Fairfield County lingo. 

Weicker endorsed Murphy over his former colleague Linda McMahon, with whom he served on the board of WWE from 1999 to 2011.    During the taping, Weicker was critical of McMahon’s pursuit of the senate seat, saying it should go to someone who has served in elective office.     It’s unclear what Weicker’s role in Murphy’s campaign will be, but he did tell me he will co-host a fundraiser for the congressman.

Weicker acknowledged neither candidate in the race is perfect, and after the taping told me he wished Congressman Joe Courtney had run for the Democrats.

Also this Sunday, we have a debate over the senate race between Republican State Representative Themis Klarides and former State Senator Jonathan Harris.     Harris and Klarides seem to be against the transparency Weicker favors.   Harris said there is no need to see Murphy’s mortgage papers, yet he wants the WWE to release videos assembled while McMahon was CEO.   Klarides argued the videos were available for a long time, and argued that there are still questions to answered about the mortgage controversy.

You can watch the entire interviews this Sunday morning at 11 on Face the State.

UPDATE:  Here are the links to the segments

Weicker:   http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7752198

Klarides & Harris:   http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7752195