A new Rasmussen Reports poll puts Democrat Richard Blumenthal ahead of Republican Linda McMahon 56 percent to 43 percent in their race for the U.S. Senate.
The survey results are a significant improvement for Blumenthal from the last Rasmussen poll, released 10 days ago, showing him with a 5 point lead. A Quinnipiac poll taken about the same time put Blumenthal 11 points ahead.
The new poll says 58 percent of voters view Blumenthal favorably, 42 percent unfavorably. Those numbers are roughly reversed for McMahon, who is seen favorably by 43 percent, unfavorably by 56 percent.
Although the two candidates have similar views on many issues, voters draw a sharp distinction between them, Rasmussen reports. More find McMahon’s views “extreme” (48 percent) than “mainstream” (43 percent), and 40 percent say she is “very conservative.” Blumenthal’s views are considered “extreme” by 32 percent, “mainstream” by 56 percent. Twenty-three percent say he is “very liberal.”
The results are based on an automated telephone survey of 750 likely voters done Oct. 24. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.