US Senator Joseph Lieberman leads his Democratic challenger, Greenwich businessman, Ned Lamont by a large margin in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Even though his approval rating seems to have dropped from 63 percent in February to 59 percent in the poll released Tuesday, May 2, he holds a handsome lead against Lamont. In a possible Democratic primary Lieberman beats Lamont 65 to 19 percent.
Running as an Independent, without the backing of the Democratic Party, Lieberman would still receive 56 or 57 percent of the vote in a three-way race against Lamont as the Democrat, and one of the two Republican candidates, former state Rep. Alan Schlesinger or businessman Paul Streitz, according to the poll. Most Connecticut voters, 57 percent, know Lieberman supports the war in Iraq, but only 15 percent of those polled would vote against him solely for his position on the war. The telephone poll of 1,536 registered voters in the state also found, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell buried her two Democratic challengers, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. The poll shows Rell with 66 percent to 20 percent for DeStefano and 65 percent to 20 percent for Malloy. “If Governor Rell has an Achilles heel, the Democrats have not found it,” Quinnipiac Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said Tuesday. “Perhaps the race will tighten up, once the Democrats rally around a single challenger,” Schwartz added. Destefano tops Malloy 32 to 24 percent amongst Democrats, with 38 percent undecided. In the abortion debate the poll found by a 78 to 17 percent margin, widespread support, even amongst Catholics for a law requiring all Connecticut hospitals to provide emergency contraception for rape victims. The poll found 74 percent of people who identified themselves as Catholics in support of the measure, while just 21 percent of Catholics opposed it. Read the poll by clicking here