The new Rasmussen poll of Connecticut, conducted last night in the wake of Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd’s retirement announcement, confirms that Democratic state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is now the heavy favorite to keep the seat for the party.
Blumenthal leads former Rep. Rob Simmons by 56%-33%; Blumenthal leads former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon by 58%-34%; and Blumenthal leads financial analyst Peter Schiff by 60%-24%. These results are fairly similar to yesterday’s numbers from Public Policy Polling (D), which was conducted just before the news of Dodd’s retirement and Blumenthal’s entry into the race.
Dodd had been performing badly in previous Rasmussen polls. From the pollster’s analysis: “With a single announcement, Chris Dodd transformed the Senate race in Connecticut from one that leaned in the GOP direction to a fairly safe bet for the Democratic Party.”
