Quinnipiac poll: McMahon holds slight lead over Murphy

In a Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters conducted in late August, Republican Linda McMahon held a 49-46 advantage over U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy in the race for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman.

McMahon held a commanding 55”“40 edge among independent voters, who helped Lieberman win a final term in office in 2006 after losing the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont but making the ballot as an independent.

In a press release, Quinnipiac University Polling Institute director Douglas Schwartz said the 2012 U.S. Senate race is too close to call. Quinnipiac researchers surveyed nearly 1,500 likely voters between Aug. 22 and Aug. 26, assigning a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

“McMahon has worked on her image in the last two years, and it shows,” Schwartz stated. “Voters like her more now than they did when she faced Richard Blumenthal in 2010.”

President Barack Obama holds a 52-45 lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters in Connecticut, with 12 percent of each camp saying they might change their mind.

The economy is seen as being the most important factor in the presidential race, with 58 percent of those polled saying the economy will be “extremely important” in determining their vote. Medicare will be extremely important for 41 percent  of voters, with Obama deemed a better choice on that issue and more voters opting for Romney when it comes to the economy.