Lamont holds double-digit lead in Connecticut governor’s race: poll

Gov. Ned Lamont (D) is leading Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski by double digits in the Connecticut gubernatorial race, according to an Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey released Tuesday.

The poll found that Lamont received 49 percent support among likely voters in the state when respondents were asked who they would vote for if the governor’s race was held today, compared to Stefanowski, who received 38 percent support.

Nine percent said they were undecided while 4 percent said they would support someone else. 

The poll also found that 57 percent of respondents felt Lamont was more trustworthy than his Republican challenger. Forty-three percent said the same for Stefanowski.

While the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat as “likely Democrat,” the race has the potential to be another nail-biter. The Connecticut governor and Stefanowski went head to head in 2018, a race Lamont by 3 percentage points. 

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement that Lamont holds an advantage among female voters. That voter bloc could prove critical for the Democratic incumbent, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“We continue to see a gender divide in the midterm elections in Connecticut as women voters break for [Sen. Richard] Blumenthal by 25 points and Lamont by 19, whereas the race among male voters is much tighter: men support Blumenthal by one and Lamont by three,” Kimball said.

The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey was conducted Sept. 7-9 with 1,000 somewhat or very likely voters sampled. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.