A new poll shows the two endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate have wide leads over their primary challengers. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.
So, keep this in mind.
"We make to much of polls generally."
That's Mark Pazniokas, a reporter at the Connecticut Mirror.
"Having said that, this poll is big."
That's because a Quinnipiac University poll shows this: Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon is trouncing former Republican Congressman Christopher Shays by 29 percentage points before their August primary. And more importantly, voters now think McMahon is more electable in a general election against either Democratic candidate -- Congressman Chris Murphy, or former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.
Again, Mark Pazniokas.
"The last poll in March was a game changer for Chris Shays. It allowed him to make the claim that he was the only Republican who was electable. He's the only one who matched up well in the general election match-ups with Chris Murphy and Susan Bysiewicz. This poll takes his legs out."
The poll, for the first time, puts McMahon within striking distance of Murphy, the endorsed Democratic candidate. And she's well ahead of the rest. That's due, in part, to the fact that she's the only one doing television advertising. But Doug Schwartz, who ran the Quinnipiac poll, says not everything is rosy for McMahon.
"Her wrestling background continues to be a liability."
The numbers also show Murphy pulling away in his primary against Bysiewicz. He now has a 30 percentage point lead. Schwartz says that will be hard to overcome.
"If we see a Murphy/McMahon match-up, at least at this point in time, it's competitive and, you know, Connecticut could be in the national spotlight. Republicans are looking for four pickups in order to control the U.S. Senate and this race could get a lot of attention."
The telephone survey was conducted between May 29 and June 3. The primary is August 14.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
