More Love for Dodd, But Not Enough to Win
Qunnipiac poll says Rob Simmons is more popular than Dodd
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Democrats from Kent took a vote of no confidence in U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd this week.
More voters like Sen. Chris Dodd than they did in May, but apparently not enough to keep him in the Senate if the election were today.
Dodd’s approval rate is still negative but slowly climbing, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University. Forty-two percent approve of the job he's doing, up from 38 percent in May.
Still, voters are more likely to choose Republican challenger former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, 48-39. That’s up slightly from 45-39 in May.
"Sen. Christopher Dodd is rebuilding his approval rating, but he is still in negative territory. He has moved the needle from 25 points down April 2 to 10 points down today. He still is losing to Rob Simmons," Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said.
One of the problems voters have with Dodd is they do not think he is honest or trustworthy, pollsters found.
Dodd’s popularity took a beating this year over AIG and Countrywide Financial scandals. In June, Kent Democrats voted "no confidence" in the senator.
“This is not something that will be easy for Dodd to reverse,” Schwartz said. “Another problem for Dodd is that the bad economy has put voters in a grumpy mood. Consequently, voters have little patience for politician's missteps."
But, voters said he sure has strong leadership skills and Democrats are liking him more than they did a couple months ago.
Some of Dodd’s upswing is political love from Democrats, spurred by the senior senator’s visible work in helping President Barack Obama’s agenda.
"Sen. Dodd's numbers among Democrats are back to where they used to be with over 70 percent of Democrats approving of his job performance and backing his reelection bid,” Schwartz said.
On Wednesday, the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee passed a resolution supporting Dodd.
“This unanimous move by the State Central Committee is significant and a clear signal that they trust Chris Dodd is the guy who can get things done for Connecticut,” said State Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo. “His seniority in the Senate, his strong relationships with his colleagues and the President, and his success standing up to the Washington special interests on behalf of Connecticut families make him the clear choice in next year’s U.S. Senate race.”
However, he’s lost independent support since May 27.
Dodd led the votes among registered Democrats, with 52 percent, followed by Merrick Alpert, with 18 percent. That is the same split the poll revealed in May.
Other than Simmons, pollsters asked voters about potential Republican challengers Tom Foley, Sam Caligiuri and Peter Schiff.
Posted Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:03 AM EST
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