Latest Poll Shows Lamont Extending Lead As Election Day Nears

by Donald Eng Bluesky

HAMDEN, CT — With less than three weeks until state voters head to the polls to choose a governor, incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont has extended his lead over Republican challenger Ryan Fazio, a new Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday shows.

According to the poll, 58% of likely voters back Lamont, and 38% backed Fazio. The Greenwich senator also showed 38% support in Quinnipiac’s last Connecticut governor poll. But Lamont’s support ticked up slightly – from 55% to 58% – since the September poll.

The poll, of 1,225 Connecticut likely voters was conducted from October 8 – 12 with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points, including the design effect. 

Poll Director Doug Schwartz said it appeared Lamont was headed for a comfortable win.

“This is the biggest lead a candidate for governor in Connecticut has had in two decades since Jodi Rell led John DeStefano by 24 points in Quinnipiac University’s November 1, 2006 poll,” Schwartz said. Rell went on the win that race 63.2% to 35.4%.

One factor in the poll’s margin was likely Fazio’s unfamiliarity to state voters. Although voters split fairly evenly on whether they had a favorable (33%) or unfavorable (35%) opinion, another 30% said they did not know enough about him.

Asked to choose from a list of nine issues, 24% of poll respondents said cost of living was the most important to them. That was followed by the economy (21%), taxes (13%), health care (10%) and immigration (10%). No other issue reached double digits.

By a margin of more than 2-1, voters who said cost of living was their main issue backed Lamont (67%) over Fazio (30%). Lamont also won among voters who listed the economy (73% to 25%) and health care (89% to 9%). Voters who said taxes and immigration were most important to them backed Fazio by 77% to 23% and 64% to 35% margins, respectively.

“Despite millions of dollars spent flooding the airwaves with desperate and misleading attacks against Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut voters see right through it,” said Lauren Gray, a spokesperson with the Lamont campaign. She said Lamont had delivered results and had acted as a bulwark against President Donald Trump.

“While Ryan Fazio clings to President Trump and his agenda, Governor Lamont remains focused on what matters most, and that’s keeping Connecticut moving forward,” she said.

The Fazio campaign did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the poll, but in September the campaign cited an internal survey of 600 likely voters that reportedly showed Fazio within seven percentage points and called the race “very competitive.”

Among likely voters, 53% approved of Lamont’s job performance, with 40% disapproving. That contrasted with President Donald Trump, whose performance met with 29% approval and 67% disapproval.

This story may be updated.