A new poll shows Connecticut's U.S. Senate race remains a dead heat.
Jeff Cohen reports.
The Quinnipiac University Poll shows that 48 percent support Republican Linda McMahon while 47 percent back Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy.
Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said both candidates have taken hits from the recent barrage of negative TV ads. And he says both candidates have their upsides and their downsides.
A challenge for McMahon is that she's in a Democratic state. But...
"Connecticut voters like Linda McMahon more than they do Chris Murphy. Also, Connecticut voters tell us that they want the next senator to have business experience rather than experience in politics. And the third reason is the campaign spending. She's saturated the airwaves with her ads and they've been effective."
Schwartz said McMahon's supporters are more enthusiastic about their candidate. Half said they consider themselves "very enthusiastic" about the former wrestling executive, while 27 percent of Murphy's supporters said they're "very enthusiastic" about his candidacy.
A big challenge for Murphy is that more people have a negative opinion of him than have a positive opinion. But he's got this question going for him:
"Which candidate do you think better understands the economic problems of Connecticut voters. And he's tied with Linda McMahon with that. And that's what's keeping this race close for him."
The same poll shows Democratic President Barack Obama with a 12 percentage point lead over Republican Mitt Romney. The poll was conducted before this week's presidential debate.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
