A Quinnipiac University Poll released on Monday shows Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy leading his Republican challenger Tom Foley 47 to 44. That’s within the margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. This is similar to where the polls were on election eve four years ago in the first match up between Malloy and Foley.
Malloy won that race by 6,404 votes after a recount in Bridgeport. Just like four years ago, President Obama stumped for Malloy in Bridgeport two days before the election, highlighting the importance of getting out the urban vote for the Democrat.
On Sunday, in their last forum together, the two candidates gave their closing arguments.
“We should be doing much better but we need different leadership. We need to reduce taxes, to ease up on family budgets and get the economy going. And we need to get control over spending and we have to support job creators,” Foley said, appealing to voters who want to see a change in state government.
“Seventy thousand private sector jobs have been created in Connecticut. Crime is nearly at an all time low. Thirty two percent reduction in murders in our state, graduation rates going up, school achievement going up, investments in schools going up, things that you could not have done if you had a slash and burn mentality about state government,” said Malloy, defending his record.
Conservative petitioning candidate Joe Visconti dropped out of the race on Sunday. He said he’s thrown his support behind Foley in a last-minute effort to defeat Malloy.
“It got down to who can get us on another course? If it’s not going to be me it has to be Tom,” said Visconti, a gun rights advocate.
A Quinnipiac poll released last week had Visconti with the support of about 6 percent of likely voters. Monday’s Quinnipiac Poll, which has Malloy with a slight lead, does not include Visconti.
