Lamont Has 8-Point Lead In Connecticut Governor Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 58% Say They Are Worse Off Financially Than A Year Ago
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Democratic incumbent Governor Ned Lamont leads Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski 51 - 43 percent in Connecticut's gubernatorial race, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of registered voters in Connecticut released today. This poll was conducted from May 19th - 23rd.
Democrats support Lamont 92 - 6 percent, while Republicans back Stefanowski 89 - 9 percent. Independents are divided with 47 percent supporting Lamont and 43 percent supporting Stefanowski. Women back Lamont 59 - 35 percent, while men back Stefanowski 52 - 42 percent.
"Governor Lamont, propelled by strong support from women and enjoying a positive job approval rating from Connecticut voters, leads in a rematch with Bob Stefanowski, but it's certainly not a lock," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Doug Schwartz.
FAVORABILITY RATINGS
Fifty percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Ned Lamont, while 36 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him, and 11 percent haven't heard enough about him.
Thirty-seven percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Bob Stefanowski, while 22 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him, and 38 percent haven't heard enough about him.
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE
The economy tops the list as the most important issue to voters in deciding who to vote for in the election for governor. Thirty-five percent of voters say the economy is the most important issue, followed by taxes (15 percent) and abortion (11 percent).
Among Republicans, the top issues are the economy (45 percent) and taxes (25 percent), with no other issue hitting double digits.
Among Democrats, the top issues are the economy (25 percent), abortion (16 percent), and taxes (10 percent).
Among independents, the top issues are the economy (37 percent) and taxes (16 percent).
JOB APPROVALS
Fifty-two percent of voters approve of the way Ned Lamont is handling his job as governor, while 38 percent disapprove. This compares to a 65 - 26 percent job approval rating in a Quinnipiac University poll in May 2020 during the height of the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Seventy-one percent of voters approve of the way Lamont is handling the response to the coronavirus, while 23 percent disapprove. In May 2020, Lamont received a 78 - 17 percent approval rating for his handling of the response to the coronavirus.
On Lamont's handling of the state budget, voters are split with 43 percent approving and 44 percent disapproving.
Voters give Senator Chris Murphy a 45 - 37 percent job approval rating. This is his lowest score in a Quinnipiac poll since taking office in 2013.
Voters give Senator Richard Blumenthal a 45 - 43 percent job approval rating. This is his lowest score in a Quinnipiac poll since taking office in 2011.
Voters give President Joe Biden a negative 40 - 54 percent job approval rating.
ECONOMY
Forty percent of voters say the state of Connecticut's economy is either excellent (3 percent) or good (37 percent), while 57 percent say the state of Connecticut's economy is either not so good (34 percent) or poor (23 percent). This is the most positive rating of Connecticut's economy from voters in a Quinnipiac University poll since April 2005.
Only 13 percent of voters think Connecticut's economy is getting better, while 45 percent of voters think it's getting worse, and 40 percent think it's staying about the same.
Fifty-eight percent of voters say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, while 25 percent say they are better off, and 15 percent say they are the same.
"A somewhat gloomy financial self-assessment from voters comparing this year to last," added Schwartz.
ABORTION
Voters support 66 - 26 percent a Connecticut law designed to protect out-of-state patients who seek abortion services in Connecticut from legal action taken by states that have outlawed abortion. This law also protects in-state abortion providers and others involved.
The vast majority of voters (68 percent) think abortion should be legal in all cases (37 percent) or most cases (31 percent), while 23 percent think abortion should be illegal in most cases (18 percent) or all cases (5 percent).
Voters support 67 - 25 percent amending the state constitution to guarantee that women in Connecticut have access to abortion services.
Voters support 70 - 24 percent requiring parental notification before anyone under 16 years old could get an abortion.
1,660 registered voters in Connecticut were surveyed from May 19th - 23rd with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.
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Poll Questions
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Question 1. If the election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were Ned Lamont the Democrat and Bob Stefanowski the Republican, for whom would you vote? (INCLUDES LEANERS)
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Lamont 51% 9% 92% 47% 42% 59% Stefanowski 43 89 6 43 52 35 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - - - - - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) - - - - - - UNDECIDED(VOL) 4 2 1 7 4 4 REFUSED 2 - 1 2 2 1 -
Question 2. Is your opinion of Ned Lamont favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 50% 17% 82% 49% 41% 58% Unfavorable 36 70 5 36 42 30 Hvn't hrd enough 11 10 11 12 13 9 REFUSED 3 3 2 3 3 3 -
Question 2a. Is your opinion of Ned Lamont favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? COMBINED WITH: (If favorable/unfavorable q2) Do you have a strongly or somewhat favorable/unfavorable opinion?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Strongly favorable 23% 5% 49% 18% 16% 30% Smwht favorable 26 12 32 31 25 27 Smwht unfavorable 16 28 3 18 17 15 Strongly unfavorable 19 41 2 18 25 14 Hvn't hrd enough 11 10 11 12 13 9 REFUSED 5 4 3 4 4 5 -
Question 3. Is your opinion of Bob Stefanowski favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 37% 78% 8% 36% 43% 32% Unfavorable 22 2 48 15 19 24 Hvn't hrd enough 38 21 42 46 36 40 REFUSED 3 - 3 3 2 3 -
Question 3a. Is your opinion of Bob Stefanowski favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? COMBINED WITH: (If favorable/unfavorable q3) Do you have a strongly or somewhat favorable/unfavorable opinion?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Strongly favorable 21% 50% 3% 16% 25% 17% Smwht favorable 16 26 4 19 18 15 Smwht unfavorable 9 - 18 7 9 9 Strongly unfavorable 13 1 29 8 10 15 Hvn't hrd enough 38 21 42 46 36 40 REFUSED 3 1 3 4 3 4 -
Question 4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ned Lamont is handling his job as governor?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 52% 17% 86% 49% 43% 60% Disapprove 38 74 6 38 47 30 DK/NA 11 8 8 13 11 11 -
Question 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Chris Murphy is handling his job as United States Senator?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 45% 14% 78% 42% 38% 51% Disapprove 37 75 6 37 46 29 DK/NA 18 11 16 20 16 19 -
Question 6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Richard Blumenthal is handling his job as United States Senator?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 45% 12% 79% 41% 35% 53% Disapprove 43 82 9 44 53 33 DK/NA 13 6 12 15 12 13 -
Question 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 40% 4% 81% 34% 31% 48% Disapprove 54 95 15 59 64 46 DK/NA 5 1 4 7 5 5 -
Question 8. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Connecticut today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very satisfied 11% 3% 21% 9% 10% 12% Smwht satisfied 37 13 60 37 32 42 Smwht dissatisfied 22 32 13 24 24 21 Very dissatisfied 28 52 5 30 34 24 DK/NA 1 - 1 - - 1 -
Question 9. Which of these is the most important issue to you in deciding who to vote for in the election for governor: taxes, crime, the state budget, infrastructure, COVID-19, the economy, the environment, education, or abortion?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Taxes 15% 25% 10% 16% 19% 12% Crime 6 4 7 6 6 5 State budget 6 6 6 6 8 5 Infrastructure 5 2 7 6 6 5 COVID-19 3 1 7 1 2 3 Economy 35 45 25 37 36 34 Environment 5 1 8 5 5 5 Education 7 6 7 7 7 7 Abortion 11 5 16 9 5 16 SOMETHING ELSE(VOL) 3 2 2 3 2 3 DK/NA 4 3 4 3 2 5 -
Question 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ned Lamont is handling - the response to the coronavirus?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 71% 47% 93% 70% 65% 76% Disapprove 23 45 5 23 28 19 DK/NA 6 9 2 7 8 4 -
Question 11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Ned Lamont is handling - the state budget?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 43% 15% 75% 40% 38% 48% Disapprove 44 76 13 44 50 38 DK/NA 13 9 12 16 12 14 -
Question 12. Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Legal all cases 37% 15% 54% 37% 30% 44% Legal most cases 31 26 32 38 32 31 Illegal most cases 18 40 4 16 23 13 Illegal all cases 5 9 4 3 5 5 DK/NA 8 10 6 7 10 7 -
Question 13. As you may know, Connecticut now has a law designed to protect out-of-state patients who seek abortion services in Connecticut from legal action taken by states that have outlawed abortion. It also protects in-state abortion providers and others involved. Do you support or oppose this law?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Support 66% 40% 87% 67% 59% 72% Oppose 26 52 8 24 33 20 DK/NA 8 7 5 8 7 8 -
Question 14. Do you support or oppose amending the state constitution to guarantee that women in Connecticut have access to abortion services?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Support 67% 40% 88% 69% 61% 73% Oppose 25 52 8 23 31 20 DK/NA 8 8 4 8 8 8 -
Question 15. Do you support or oppose requiring parental notification before anyone under 16 years old could get an abortion?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Support 70% 80% 59% 75% 74% 67% Oppose 24 14 35 20 20 27 DK/NA 6 5 6 5 6 6 -
Question 16. Would you describe the state of Connecticut's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent 3% 2% 5% 2% 2% 4% Good 37 15 62 33 37 37 Not so good 34 44 23 37 33 35 Poor 23 38 5 24 25 22 DK/NA 3 1 4 3 3 2 -
Question 17. Do you think Connecticut's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better 13% 4% 28% 9% 13% 14% Worse 45 68 21 46 42 47 The same 40 27 49 41 42 37 DK/NA 3 1 3 3 3 2 -
Question 18. Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better off 25% 10% 43% 23% 27% 24% Worse off 58 79 35 62 61 55 SAME(VOL) 15 9 21 12 10 19 DK/NA 2 2 1 3 2 2 -
Question 19. Thinking about your own financial situation, which one of the following issues worries you the most: rising gasoline prices, rising food prices, rising home energy costs, or rising housing and rent costs?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Gasoline 28% 40% 25% 24% 34% 24% Food 27 24 27 30 20 34 Home energy 24 24 21 26 23 24 Housing and rent 15 7 22 16 17 14 DK/NA 5 5 5 4 7 4 -
Question 20. In general, how serious a problem do you think crime is in Connecticut; a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not very serious, or not a problem at all?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very serious 36% 47% 28% 36% 35% 37% Smwht serious 50 45 55 50 46 53 Not very serious 11 7 13 11 14 8 Not a problem at all 2 1 2 2 3 1 DK/NA 1 1 2 1 2 1 -
Question 21. Is being the victim of a crime something you personally worry about, or not?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 44% 50% 36% 44% 40% 47% No 55 47 64 55 59 51 DK/NA 1 3 - 1 1 2 -
Question 22. Compared to 5 years ago, do you feel that Connecticut has become a safer place to live, a less safe place to live, or stayed about the same?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Safer 8% 3% 12% 8% 9% 7% Less safe 41 61 22 46 40 42 About the same 49 35 63 46 49 49 DK/NA 2 2 3 1 2 2 -
Question 23. Compared to 5 years ago, do you feel that your town or city has become a safer place to live, a less safe place to live, or stayed about the same?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Safer 8% 7% 12% 6% 9% 7% Less safe 29 36 19 33 27 31 About the same 61 56 66 60 63 60 DK/NA 2 2 3 1 2 2 -
Question 24. How prepared do you think the state is to deal with an extreme weather event; very prepared, somewhat prepared, not so prepared, or not prepared at all?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very prepared 15% 15% 19% 13% 16% 14% Somewhat prepared 63 57 61 67 59 66 Not so prepared 13 18 13 12 14 12 Not prepared at all 5 6 4 5 7 4 DK/NA 4 5 3 3 4 4 -
Question 25. How prepared are you to deal with an extreme weather event; very prepared, somewhat prepared, not so prepared, or not prepared at all?
REGISTERED VOTERS..................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very prepared 29% 33% 22% 31% 35% 24% Somewhat prepared 55 53 58 53 51 57 Not so prepared 11 10 14 10 8 13 Not prepared at all 4 2 4 5 4 4 DK/NA 1 2 2 - 2 1