Poll: Women Voters Go With Lamont

HARTFORD, CT — (Updated with Facebook video) Female voters are giving Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont their support and an 8 point lead over Republican newcomer Bob Stefanowski, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

Oz Griebel, the unaffiliated candidate in the race, has also seen his support in the poll grow from 4 percent at the end of August to 11 percent. The poll did not ask about Libertarian Party candidate Rod Hanscomb or Amigo Constitution Liberty Party candidate Mark Stewart Greenstein.

The survey of 767 likely voters found women back Lamont over Stefanowski 53 to 31 percent. Unaffiliated voters give Lamont 42 percent of the vote, 36 percent for Stefanowski and 18 percent for Griebel.

“Ned Lamont is ahead in the Connecticut governor’s race, but with 27 days to go, Bob Stefanowski is within striking distance,” Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, said.

With 27 days left in this contest only 21 percent of Connecticut likely voters who named a candidate say they might change their mind.

And while they’re going to vote for them, voters actually don’t like their choices.

According to the poll, Lamont has a divided favorability rating where 45 percent have an unfavorable opinion and 44 percent have a favorable opinion. Stefanowski has a slightly negative rating with 44 percent of the voters having an unfavorable opinion of him and only 39 percent with a favorable opinion.

As for Griebel, 72 percent haven’t heard enough about him to form an opinion.

Asked what the most important issue is in choosing the next governor, 31 percent of voters said the economy, 26 percent said taxes and 24 percent said government spending.

Asked what values they care about most for the next leader of Connecticut 30 percent said it was important for the next governor to bring change and 21 percent wants him to share their values.

“The number one issue for Connecticut voters is the economy, and Lamont wins decisively among those voters,” Schwartz said. “Voters also say, however, that the most important quality in a candidate for governor is the ability to bring needed change, and among those voters, Stefanowski wins big.”

The poll also shows Lamont winning unaffiliated voters by six points.

This is the first poll to show unaffiliated voters, the largest group of Connecticut voters, breaking for Lamont.

“As we near election day, we expect a significant number of voters to switch their support to Stefanowski as they begin to take a closer look at Ned Lamont’s plans to increase the burden on the middle class by raising the income tax, establishing new property taxes, putting up tolls and continuing Dan Malloy’s failed economic policies,” Kendall Marr, a spokesman for Stefanowski, said.

Marr said Stefanowski is the only candidate that can be “trusted to bring the change we need to get Connecticut’s economy back on track.”

Marc Bradley, Lamont’s campaign manager, said polls may change but “Stefanowski’s reckless scheme to eliminate more than half the state’s revenue, which would deliver higher property taxes in every city and town, while slashing funding for education, healthcare, public safety, and the very things that make Connecticut a good place to live and work,” has not.

He said voters realize Lamont “is the only candidate running with a positive vision and plan for creating good jobs, investing in education and workforce training, cutting property taxes for the middle class, and fixing Connecticut’s fiscal crisis.”

This election though is about more than just the race for governor.

He’s not on the ballot, but President Donald Trump looms large over the midterm election.

The poll found it’s important to 65 percent of likely voters that their candidate shares their opinion about Trump.

The poll also found 39 percent of voters approve of the way Trump is doing his job.

Some believe outgoing Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his eight year tenure will also be on the ballot this year.

Voters surveyed gave Malloy a 23 percent approval rating.

But Schwartz believes Trump will have a bigger impact.

“In deciding which candidate to support, President Donald Trump is a more important factor for voters than Gov. Dannel Malloy, although both men appear to be doing damage to their own parties,” Schwartz said.

As far as the U.S. Senate race is concerned, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has a convincing 15 point lead over Republican Matt Corey.

Voters give Murphy a 58 – 37 percent favorability rating. For Corey, 57 percent haven’t heard enough about him to form an opinion.

The poll has a 5 percent margin of error and was conducted between Oct. 3 and Oct. 8.