A new Quinnipiac University poll has incumbent Connecticut governor Ned Lamont leading his Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski by double digits among likely voters. That commanding lead carries over into the U.S. Senate race as well.
According to the poll, 97% of Democratic voters are likely to support Lamont in November’s general election. Stefanowki, meanwhile, is expected to carry 82% of Republican voters, as well as a small majority of Independents (51% to Lamont’s expected 44%).
Lamont also carries a majority of women in the poll (63%) while men are more evenly divided (50% for Lamont, 47% for Stefanowski).
“Seventeen points is by any measure a huge lead. Barring a calamity, it certainly looks like a cruise control ride up I-91 and back to the statehouse in Hartford for Governor Lamont,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Doug Schwartz in a statement.
Stefanowski’s campaign is rejecting the results of the poll, calling a 17 point margin “laughable” and saying in a statement: “Our internal polling has this race within the margin of error and we look forward to winning and bringing relief and change to Connecticut families.”
The methodology attached to Quinnipiac’s polling outlines the sample size, which was made up of 38% Independents, 36% Democrats, 22% Republicans, and 8% who didn’t provide affiliation. They also stated that any sample that didn’t align with Census data would be weighted to bring them into alignment. This is common in polling, though weighting does increase the margin of error.
Even accounting for the margin of error, Lamont maintains a double-digit lead in the poll.
In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Richard Blumenthal carries the same lead as Lamont with 57% of likely voters predicted to vote for him over his Republican opponent, Leora Levy. Both carry a commanding majority of their party while Independents come out more evenly split.
Quinnipiac’s pollsters claim that a very low favorability rating for former President Donald J. Trump could be contributing to Levy’s lagging behind. Trump has backed Levy’s campaign.
Finally, the poll asked about the greatest issue facing Connecticut voters. The overwhelming response was inflation, which carried 32% of the vote. Taxes came in second at 20%. Those were also the top two issues for both Republicans and Independents, while Democrats also listed climate change, abortion, and healthcare.
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