Blumenthal’s Lead over McMahon Narrows to 10 Points in US Senate Race

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's lead over former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon has slipped to 10 points, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters released Wednesday. The Democrat leads Republican McMahon 50-40.  That's a seven-point gain since July 16, when she trailed 54-37.

Independents, the largest block of voters in the state, are now evenly divided between the two candidates.

In a survey of likely Republican voters, Quinnipiac found Rob Simmons closing in on McMahon.  She now leads him by 47-30 points, compared to 52-25 in July.

Comparing McMahon and Simmons, Republican voters say:

• 41–33 percent that McMahon has the best character and personality to be a U.S. Senator;
• 39–33 percent that Simmons is most qualified to be a Senator;
• 42–27 percent that they most agree with McMahon on key issues;
• 45–25 percent that they most agree with McMahon's positions on the economy and jobs;
• 54–25 percent that McMahon is best able to win the general election.

From July 28 – August 2, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,299 Connecticut registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. From  July 29 – August 2, Quinnipiac conducted a separate survey of 1,003 Connecticut likely Republican primary voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.  These likely voters were selected from lists of people who have voted in past elections.