QU poll shows Lamont with 8-point lead over Stefanowski

A new poll gives Gov. Ned Lamont an 8-point lead over GOP challenger Bob Stefanowski – a slightly slimmer margin than a poll on the gubernatorial race released last week.

Lamont’s approval rating is 52 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University poll, with higher support among women. Women back Lamont 59 to 35 percent compared to men’s support of Stefanowski 52 to 42 percent.

The governor did not receive as high marks on his handling the state budget, with 43 percent of voters approving and 44 percent disapproving.

The poll surveyed 1,660 registered voters in Connecticut from May 19-23 and had a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.

The findings are similar to the results of a recent poll conducted by Emerson College Polling in partnership with The Hill and WTNH-Channel 8, which showed Lamont with a 13-point lead over Stefanowski.

During the 2018 gubernatorial race, Lamont beat Stefanowski by 3.2 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac poll showed Lamont with slightly higher support among registered independents with 47 percent supporting Lamont and 43 percent supporting Stefanowski. In the Emerson poll, independents backed Stefanowski by 43.5 percent over 39.1 percent for Lamont.

With historic inflation, it’s no surprise the Quinnipiac poll shows the economy as the top issue for Connecticut voters in deciding who to support in November.

For Republicans, the economy and taxes are

the most important issues. Among Democrats, the top issues are the economy, abortion, and taxes.

With the U.S. Supreme Court likely to drastically scale back abortion rights, the issue has received heightened attention in political debate.

A majority of voters in the Quinnipiac poll, 66 to 26 percent, said they support a new Connecticut law designed to protect patients and abortion providers from legal challenges from more restrictive states.

Lamont has said the

legislation shows Connecticut will continue to be a strong supporter for abortion rights. Stefanowski, who has said he supports a woman’s right to choose, has declined to comment on whether he would’ve vetoed the law if he were in office. He is in favor of requiring parental notification for anyone under age 16 to get an abortion, which 70 to 24 percent of voters said they support in the Quinnipiac poll.

Voters also strongly support amending the state constitution to include

abortion rights — 67 to 25 percent.

The poll showed the lowest approval ratings for Connecticut’s two Democratic senators in a Quinnipiac survey since taking office.

Voters gave U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who faces three Republican challengers this year, a 45 to 43 percent job approval rating compared to 45 to 37 percent for Sen. Chris Murphy, who is up for reelection in 2024.

Jessica Hill / Associated Press This pair of Sept. 26, 2018, file photos shows gubernatorial candidates Gov. Ned Lamont, left, Democrat, and Bob Stefanowski, Republican, after a debate at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The two men will face off in the November general election.