Connecticut Republican voters were displeased to learn of McMahon's donations to Emanuel, a highly partisan figure who helped orchestrate the Democratic shift in the House in 2006 and Barack Obama's presidential win. McMahon explained to voters that her donations to Emanuel were on behalf of Rahm's brother, Ari Emanuel, who had represented WWE in Hollywood since 1992. According to McMahon, in 2002, "He (Ari) called me one day and he said, my brother is running for Congress in Illinois. It happened to be Rahm. I didn't know Rahm." McMahon made more donations over the course of the next several years, including one check she wrote when Rahm Emanuel came to WWE headquarters to meet her. McMahon's spokesperson clarified that McMahon didn't know who Rahm Emanuel was in '02, but was aware of his partisan status in '06.