Democrats are poised for victory on Election Day in the races for U.S. Senate and governor in New York while the governor”™s race is too close to call in Connecticut.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski has pulled to within the margin of error of Democrat Ned Lamont in the latest Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters.
The survey shows Stefanowski cutting Lamont”™s lead from 8 points in Quinnipiac”™s last poll to 4 points, and essentially agrees with a Sacred Heart University poll showing the GOP candidate trailing his opponent by 3.4 points. Lamont leads Stefanowski 47 percent to 43 percent, with independent candidate Oz Griebel at 7 percent.
For its latest poll, Quinnipiac surveyed 1,201 Connecticut likely voters from Oct. 22-28, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The university has classified the governor”™s race as “too close to call.”
Women back Lamont over Stefanowski by a 55-34 percent margin, with 7 percent for Griebel. Men back Stefanowski over Lamont 51-38 percent, with 7 percent for Griebel.
Lamont tops Stefanowski 90-4 percent among Democrats, with 5 percent for Griebel. Stefanowski leads Lamont 93-5 percent among Republicans, with 2 percent for Griebel. Independent voters go 43 percent for Stefanowski, 38 percent for Lamont and 13 percent for Griebel.
Election Day is Nov. 6.
Quinnipiac reported in a previous poll that the most important issue in the race is the economy, according to 31 percent of the state”™s likely voters. Other factors cited include taxes (26 percent), government spending (24 percent) and education (13 percent). Sixty-five percent of those polled said supporting a candidate who shares their view of President Donald Trump is important. This includes 78 percent of Democrats, 58 percent of Republicans and 61 percent of independent voters.
Likely voters in the state disapprove of the way Trump is doing his job by a 59-39 margin.
“We don”™t have a revenue problem in this state. We have a spending problem,” Stefanowski said in an Oct. 15 Business Journal interview. “The reason so many people are leaving the state is because of higher taxes.”
Lamont criticized his opponent in an Oct. 1 Business Journal interview.
“Bob Stefanowski”™s plan isn”™t to cut the income tax, but to eliminate it, which would cut $10 billion to $11 billion out of our budget,” Lamont said. “That”™s [almost] 60 percent of our $20 billion budget.”
In the Connecticut U.S. Senate race, Democrat incumbent Chris Murphy leads Republican challenger and business owner Matthew Corey 56-41 percent among likely voters, compared with a 57-42 percent lead for Murphy in the previous Quinnipiac poll.
Murphy is ahead 96-3 percent among Democrats and 54-42 percent among independent voters. Corey leads by 89-9 percent among Republicans.
In New York, incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo enjoys a 58-35 percent lead over Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
Cuomo, who has a commanding 6-1 advantage in New York City, according to Quinnipiac, also enjoys a 62-30 lead among women and a 54-40 advantage among men. His advantage among independents is 54-38.
Cuomo has the support of Democrats by an 88-6 majority while Molinaro enjoys GOP support by a majority of 81-13.
New York City provides Cuomo with a margin of victory of 77-13. Cuomo is also winning in the suburbs, 52-45. Molinaro is winning in upstate New York, 52-41.
White voters favor Cuomo, 48-46, while nonwhite voters overwhelmingly support the governor, 77-15.
According to Quinnipiac, health care is the top issue in choosing the state”™s chief executive (17 percent), followed by taxes (16 percent), the economy (15 percent), education (13 percent) and immigration (13 percent).
In New York”™s battle for the senate, incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand enjoys a 58-33 lead over Chele Farley.
Also revealed in the poll is that the state”™s likely voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing 60 percent to 37 percent. This includes 73-22 in New York City and 54-46 in the suburbs. Voters approve of Trump 49-48 in upstate New York.
Quinnipiac surveyed 852 likely voters for the poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Staff writer Glenn Kalinoski contributed to this report.
