Republican challenger Tom Foley leads Democratic incumbent Dannel Malloy by six points in the latest poll on the race for governor in Connecticut. The Quinnipiac University Poll of likely voters released on Wednesday gives Foley 46 percent to Malloy’s 40 percent.
Doug Schwartz is the director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. He says a Republican running for governor in Connecticut needs independent votes to win. So far, independent voters are breaking for Foley 48 to 35 percent, eight weeks before the Nov. 4 election.
Most voters say Foley would do a better job handling the economy than Malloy, according to Schwartz. “For example, on taxes voters prefer him (Foley). On government spending, voters prefer Foley. On gun policy and education, voters prefer Malloy’s approach by a small margin,” said the pollster.
Malloy leads with women 45 to 38 percent but that is offset by Foley’s 54 to 35 percent lead among men, Foley said.
Gun rights advocate Joe Visconti, who's running as an independent, gets 7 percent of the vote. But when Visconti is taken out of the race, Foley leads Malloy 49 to 43 percent, Schwartz said.
