A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday found U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal with a 15 point lead over his Republican opponent Leora Levy with about two weeks left in an election season in which inflation ranks as the top concern for most voters.
The survey of 1,879 likely voters was conducted between Oct. 19 and Oct. 23 and showed Blumenthal leading Levy by 56 – 41%. The results suggest that the past month of the campaign had done little to change the minds of Connecticut voters. A similar poll conducted by the university in late September found Blumenthal with a 57 – 40% lead.
Monday’s poll suggests Levy, a GOP fund-raiser and member of the Republican National Committee from Greenwich, struggles both with a gender gap — women prefer Blumenthal 64 – 33% — and with a familiarity deficit as 31% of voters reported not knowing enough about her to make a decision.
“Not only does Republican Leora Levy have the formidable task of taking on a popular Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator in blue Connecticut, but about 3 in 10 likely voters say they haven’t heard enough about her to express an opinion,” Doug Schwartz, director of the university’s polling institute, said in a press release.
Levy does have a small advantage among men, who reported backing her over Blumenthal 51 – 46%.
The survey also finds Connecticut voters preoccupied with economic issues as they prepare to head to the polls. Inflation ranked as the most urgent issue for 37% of voters, making it the most pressing concern. Taxes was the next most cited issue at 13%.
However, Connecticut voters do not appear likely to take those economic anxieties out on the state’s elected Democrats. The same poll found incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont with a 15 point lead over his Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski.
Meanwhile, voters continue to disapprove of former President Donald Trump, who helped Levy pull off an upset primary win with a last-minute endorsement in August. The Quinnipiac poll found that 62% of Connecticut voters hold an unfavorable opinion of Trump while 30% had a favorable view of him.
In an email, Blumenthal’s campaign spokesman Ty McEachern said the two-term senator would continue to work as if he were 10 points behind in the polls.
“Our opponent is Donald Trump’s choice while Senator Blumenthal is working to be Connecticut’s. He is focused on his job, delivering results for the people of Connecticut,” McEachern said.
Levy’s campaign, meanwhile, attacked the poll as inaccurate.
“Even one of the most inaccurate pollsters in America — who said Joe Biden was winning in Florida by 5 points two days before the 2020 election — cannot help but capture three fundamental facts: Joe Biden is upside-down, Leora Levy is winning with independents, and Dick Blumenthal’s record is a colossal failure on the issues most important to Connecticut voters,” Levy spokesman Tim Saler said.
