The McMahon family are no strangers to controversy; patriarch Vince has been the CEO–among other things–for drama-riddled WWE for many years, building his fame along with a good-sized fortune. When word got around that his wife, Linda, wanted to run for Senate, people weren’t quite sure how to take it…until it was revealed that she spent around $97 million on two Connecticut campaigns. That got people talking.

McMahon opened up a bit recently about her latest bid for office, which she lost by a wide margin to Democrat Chris Murphy despite the overwhelmingly large Republican population in the state. She says she understands why everyone has fixated on the money she threw into her campaign, but wants people to understand that it wasn’t about trying to buy her way into the election.

“What would be my personal gain? I’m not looking for a new career,” she said. “I’ve had a wonderful career. I was hoping to bring a different voice and perspective and use my skills that have been honed as a CEO in bringing people together. I’ve had a little bit of fame and fortune. I’ve been in the public eye. I wasn’t looking for a hobby. If I were looking for a hobby, it wouldn’t be the United States Senate. That’s one of the toughest jobs I’d probably ever do.”

McMahon also says that one big thing she learned from her first loss was that women weren’t identifying with her because of her ties to WWE; she later made that a talking point while she was running against Murphy, saying she’s proud to have become a role model for girls and young women.

“So many people have said, “You’ve made me think that I can do something. You’ve made me look at things a new way.” I think people were more thoroughly convinced the second time around that I was passionate about these issues. I found that I had a special following among 12- to 14-year-old girls. I was incredibly flattered. When I asked a mother about it, she said, “You have become a role model for these girls.”