(Updated) One day before the primary the last Quinnipiac University poll shows that Dan Malloy is trailing Ned Lamont by three points in the Democratic gubernatorial contest. The spread is within the margin of error.
The poll of likely Democratic primary voters has Lamont in the lead with 45 percent, but Malloy isn’t far behind with 42 percent. Twelve percent remain undecided and 30 percent of those who choose a candidate say they might change their mind.
On the Republican side Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele continues to gain on frontrunner Tom Foley, but Fedele still trails Foley 38 to 30 percent. That’s compared to 41 to 26 percent on Aug. 5.
Fedele’s campaign released a partial internal poll Sunday of 300 Republican voters which show him overtaking Foley 28 to 24 percent.
The third Republican in the race, Oz Griebel, gets 17 percent of the vote in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Fourteen percent of Republican voters remain undecided with 47 percent saying they may change their mind.
“The Democratic governor’s race between Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy is too close to call and the Republican governor’s race between Tom Foley and Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele could produce a surprise,” Doug Schwartz, Quinnipiac University poll director, said.
“The poll reflects what we’re seeing and hearing every day on the campaign trail: Dan’s got the momentum,” Dan Kelly, Malloy’s campaign manager, said. “People increasingly see him as the better qualified candidate, and the person best able to provide the leadership this state desperately needs. People are rejecting Ned’s sleazy and untrue attacks on Dan, and they’re rejecting Ned’s attempt to buy this election.”
While the Malloy campaign’s response to the results of the poll could be viewed as fairly negative, Lamont’s campaign kept their message positive.
“Democrats know that Ned is the only one in this race with a positive vision for our state, the experience to create jobs, and the ability to beat the Republicans in November,” Justine Sessions, Lamont’s spokeswoman, said. “When they go to the polls tomorrow, we’re confident that they’ll choose Ned.”
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Linda McMahon pulls away from her rival Rob Simmons and Peter Schiff. McMahon leads Simmons 50 to 28 percent and Schiff 47 to 30 percent. About seven percent are undecided and 30 percent of those who choose a candidate say they might change their mind.
“In the Republican Senate contest, it looks like Rob Simmons would need more than a surprise; he would need a miracle to catch Linda McMahon. But in politics, miracles do happen,” Schwartz said.
But McMahon’s campaign remains confident as it hurls some last minute punches at her opponents.
“Peter Schiff has proven he is just another politician who will say anything to get elected, even if it means distorting Linda’s positions and lying to voters about where she stands on important issues,” Ed Patru, McMahon’s spokesman said. “His twin goals of abolishing Social Security and Medicare are deeply troubling and his support for legalizing illicit drugs is frightening.”
As for Simmons, “he is once again attempting to misrepresent his 17-year liberal voting record as he reinvents himself in front of an election, but he cannot escape his big-government record in Washington where, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he fought for a national energy tax, card check, ACORN’s liberal agenda and more than a trillion dollar increase in the national debt,” Patru said. “Connecticut voters are ready for something different.”
The poll conducted between Aug. 3-8 surveyed 664 likely Republican voters with a 3.8 percent margin of error. It also surveyed 464 likely Democratic voters with a 4.6 percent margin of error.