Oz leads Fetterman in polls for the first time after Democrat’s struggles in debate
HARTFORD – The political battle of state lawmakers and their party committees may be over, but its impact is still being felt in the state legislature.
A new poll from the University of Connecticut shows Republican Richard Blumenthal leading Democrat Ned Lamont by a slim margin, 49 percent to 46 percent.
But Lamont’s challenge is being eclipsed as the state’s Republican Party is struggling for the first time in years. It is down by double digits in its traditional power base of the state House, and the party has not enjoyed a single win since 2002.
Lamont’s challenge will be eased by several factors, including her support among his progressive base, which she received from voters in her party’s nomination fight with former state attorney general Richard Blumenthal.
And some of Lamont’s biggest donors, who are backing her primary battle with Blumenthal, could be giving more to her opponent in the general election, as they have in recent years when she ran against Republican Linda Lorraine DePillo. For example, the Connecticut Fund, a liberal political organization, is already supporting Blumenthal, who has raised $9.7 million in the last quarter.
Lamont, an attorney who worked as a prosecutor before starting her career as a private attorney, has enjoyed a bump in her party’s fortunes in recent years.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed her ahead by 2 points, 49 percent to 46 percent, after she won the nomination.
But unlike her party, Lamont has also had a tough time. She was the only candidate to lose in the party caucus and primary. She was beaten in the general election by former Democratic Party chairs and former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and current New London mayor Joe Ganim, a Republican.
“The results have been a disappointment for the party,” said Tom Feller, the executive director of the Connecticut Republican Party.
Lamont ran a strong campaign, Feller said, but in recent weeks, some of her donors have backed Blumenthal, a former Democratic Party chairman.
Lamont got the donations from the Connecticut Education
