In the just released Quinnipiac poll, Democrats Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy hold double digit leads over any of the three Republicans in the race, Oz Griebel, Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and spouse abuser Tom Foley, who is the current Republican frontrunner.
Could Democrats finally win the governorship of Connecticut for the first time since Bill O’Neill was elected in 1986? Democrats hold a 2-1 advantage over Republicans in registrations, but have put up a series of uninspiring candidates since O’Neill.
More after the flip.
In 1986, Connecticut re-elected Democrat Bill O’Neill as governor. Nobody knew it at the time, but it would be the last time a Democrat was elected to the governorship of Connecticut in the 20th century and through the first decade of Century 21.
In 1990, we had liberal Republican Lowell Weicker running as an independent and winning in a three way race, defeating Republican John Rowland in a close race. Democrat Bruce Morrison was a distant third place with around 20%.
In 1994, Republican John Rowland won a four way race with 36% of the vote. Uninspiring Bill Curry was the Democrat in the race and garnered around 32%. There was also a moderate independent in the race and an anti-tax candidate named Tom Scott.
Rowland took advantage of the booming national and local economy to get re-elected in both 1998 and 2002.
Rowland then resigned in disgrace a short time into his third term, just ahead of an impeachment inquiry.
Despite being Rowland’s Lt. Governor the entire time, moderate Republican Jodi Rell came into office with massive popularity and seemingly untainted by all the Rowland scandals. She swamped Democrat John DeStefano, the mayor of New Haven, in the 2006 elections.
However, in 2010, it looks like the time may finally be right for the Democrats, as polls show both Democrats in the race – Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy – handily defeating any of the three Republicans in the race. The latest Q-Poll on this race was released today and it shows Lamont ahead of Republican leader and spouse abuser Tom Foley, the millionaire businessman by a 45-33 margin.
Here are the results:
• Lamont over Foley 45 – 33 percent;
• Lamont over Fedele 49 – 27 percent;
• Lamont over Griebel 49 – 25 percent;
• Malloy over Foley 44 – 33 percent;
• Malloy over Fedele 49 – 26 percent;
• Malloy over Griebel 51 – 25 percent.
Lamont has lost some ground to Malloy in recent days, possibly because he ducked the debate –
Among likely Democratic primary voters, businessman Lamont leads former Stamford Mayor Malloy 46 – 37 percent, with 16 percent undecided.
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