The News endorses Congressman Chris Murphy for the U.S. Senate.

This race has received national attention — and the influx of funding that goes along with it — as the winner of the race may determine which party holds a majority in the Senate.

But in a race with two relatively moderate candidates, we are disappointed to see the petty, negative campaigning that has engulfed competition for a Senate seat previously held by Joe Lieberman ’64 LAW ’67, former chairman of the News. Recent advertisements would have us believe we are replacing Lieberman with either a corrupt Congressman who skipped paying rent until he was taken to court or a businesswoman who declared bankruptcy to “stiff people she owed.”

Neither candidate should be defined by these attacks.

Chris Murphy, the current representative for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, has strong ties to the state. Elected to his current post in 2006, Murphy spent many years immersed in the business of state politics, serving in both Connecticut’s House of Representatives and state Senate.

Murphy is a moderate Democrat, and he stands by his positions with conviction. He supports regulations to protect the environment and advocates for marriage equality. Murphy, a former chairman of the Connecticut Public Health Committee, supports the president’s healthcare reform and has encouraged the development of medical research through the authorship of Connecticut’s Stem Cell Investment Act.

We believe Murphy’s greatest strength is his clear stance in support of educational funding. As his platform bluntly decrees: “We won’t be the cheapest place to build things, so we must be the smartest.” Murphy does not see education as an isolated political special interest, but an integral part of a functioning state and a thriving nation. Murphy’s repeated interactions with students — whether on Yale’s campus or at other universities around Connecticut — serve as testament to his conviction in the importance of an educated and engaged youth.

Linda McMahon, a former executive at World Wrestling Entertainment, has a strong business background, and the vast majority of her platform focuses on a pro-business agenda, advocating deregulation, decreased government spending and tax cuts for families and businesses. But McMahon has done little to specify her values beyond her conservative economic beliefs.

She has expressed moderate views on abortion and gay rights — cautiously supporting the right to choose and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” — but she’s done little to convince us that these social issues would be a priority for her.

We believe that Murphy’s broad agenda and previous experience make him the better candidate. When we consider Murphy as a candidate, his platform clearly states his approach to each issue, his policies closely match our own and he has a demonstrated voting record to support his beliefs. So long as Yalies avoid their televisions, they might realize the same.