Daily Kos/SEIU poll shows favorable numbers for Murphy, Bysiewicz in 2012 Senate race

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy

An early poll of voters on the 2012 U.S. Senate race released yesterday shows that U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5) and former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz are the front runners forthe seat that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

The poll was taken by Public Policy Polling for the for Daily Kos & SEIU.

It shows Murphy ahead of Bysiewicz 40-38, with 21-percent undecided in the primary race.

There were 822 registered voters polled with a margin of error of 3.4 percent.

Although there have not yet been any Republicans to throw their names into the hat for the race, the poll showed that both Murphy and Bysiewicz would be looked at more favorably than potential candidates Linda McMahon, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, Greenwich State Rep. Scott Frantz, and former Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele.

Former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz

McMahon, a Greenwich resident, and Simmons, the former District 2 U.S. Rep., both ran for the Senate seat won by Richard Blumenthal in 2010.

Fedele, from Stamford, lost the Republican primary for Governor in 2010 to Tom Foley, who eventually lost to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Foley, who like McMahon and Frantz is from Greenwich, could also be in the running for the Senate seat, but was not included in the poll.

McMahon – who told the Greenwich Time she would be considering a run at the Senate seat – had the highest opinion rating of the possible Republican candidates, at 37 percent with 11 percent unsure. Simmons came in second with a rating of 33 percent, but with a much larger margin of unsure voters (44 percent).

In a race against McMahon, 54 percent of voters would pick Murphy with 9 percent unsure, while 50 percent of voters would back Bysiewicz over McMahon with 12 percent unsure.

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Poll also reveals new approval ratings for Obama, Malloy

The same poll also provided another look at how Conn. voters feel about President Barack Obama and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Obama holds an approval rating of 55 percent, with 6 percent of voters unsure.

Malloy came in with a rating of 39 percent approving of his performance, with 47 percent disproving and 14 percent unsure.

A recent Quinnipiac University showed that voters disapprove of his performance 40 percent to 35 percent approving.

Obama held a 49-47 rating in the poll released on March 9, down from a July poll that put him at 50-44.

The Daily Kos poll also showed voters disapprove of Lieberman’s performance 60-29, but approve of newcomer Blumenthal 53-32.

In the Q Poll Lieberman, who had an approval rating of 45 percent disapproving and 38 disapproving.

Blumenthal also had favorable results in that poll, 49-25.

Tom Cleary