Dick Licks Linda In Q Poll, Will Newton Part The Pequonnock?

The Q Poll shows Dick Blumenthal is good shape against Republican Linda McMahon after his war service flap. Among Dems Ned Lamont has a 17 point lead over Dan Malloy in the race for governor. This race will tighten once Malloy receives his infusion of public money and blasts the airwaves. On the GOP side Tom Foley has a commanding lead over guber rivals. Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele must qualify for public money to cut deeply into this lead. From the Q Poll:

BLUMENTHAL PINS McMAHON BY 25 POINTS IN CONNECTICUT, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; MOST VOTERS SAY VIETNAM ISSUE DOESN’T IMPACT VOTE

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal leads former wrestling executive Linda McMahon 56 – 31 percent in the U.S. Senate race and tops the Republican candidate by large margins on every character measure, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This compares to a 61 – 28 percent Blumenthal lead over McMahon in a March 17 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.  

McMahon leads the Republican primary for U.S. Senate with 49 percent, followed by former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons with 23 percent and businessman Peter Schiff with 11 percent, with 15 percent undecided.  Simmons announced after one night of the survey that he was suspending his campaign, but that his name would remain on the GOP primary ballot.

Connecticut voters approve 76 – 16 percent, including 63 – 31 percent among Republicans, of the job Blumenthal is doing as Attorney General.  This compares to a 79 – 13 percent approval March 17. 

Blumenthal gets a 61 – 29 percent favorability, compared to a negative 32 – 39 percent favorability for McMahon. 

“It looks like Connecticut voters forgive Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, or feel that there is nothing to forgive in the Vietnam service flap. While he has taken a hit with voters, his poll numbers were so high to begin with that he still maintains a commanding lead over Linda McMahon,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD.

“What is surprising is that McMahon gets no bounce from her Republican convention victory. Her negatives went up 13 points from 26 percent unfavorable to 39 percent unfavorable. The more voters get to know McMahon the less they like her.”  

“Blumenthal has been able to maintain his large lead because it is tough to change the perceptions of a hugely popular incumbent, and because McMahon is viewed negatively by the state’s voters,” Dr. Schwartz added.

Connecticut voters say 33 – 2 percent that Blumenthal’s statements about his Vietnam era military service make them less likely to vote for him, but 61 percent say it doesn’t make a difference.  Blumenthal “misspoke,” 54 percent of voters say, while 38 percent say he “lied.”

By a 53 – 35 percent margin voters are satisfied with his explanation.

Blumenthal leads McMahon on every character measure, as Connecticut voters say:
· 76 – 15 percent that Blumenthal has the right kind of experience to be a U.S. Senator;
· 52 – 29 percent that McMahon does not have the experience;
· 60 – 27 percent that he is honest and trustworthy;
· 45 – 24 percent, with 31 percent undecided, that McMahon is honest and trustworthy;
· 69 – 21 percent that Blumenthal cares about their needs and problems;
· 45 – 33 percent, with 22 percent undecided, that she cares;
· 73 – 19 percent that he has strong leadership qualities;
· 54 – 23 percent, with 24 percent undecided that McMahon has strong leadership.

Governor’s Primaries

Former ambassador Tom Foley leads the Republican primary for governor with 37 percent, followed by Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele with 11 percent and businessman Oz Griebel with 5 percent.  But 42 percent of Republicans are undecided and the percentage of voters who don’t know enough about the candidates to form an opinion ranges from 58 percent to 88 percent.

In the Democratic primary for governor, former Senate candidate Ned Lamont leads former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy 41 – 24 percent, with 30 percent undecided.  Lamont gets a 46 – 12 percent favorability among Democrats, with 39 percent who haven’t heard enough to form an opinion.  For Malloy, 65 percent haven’t heard enough.

“In the governor’s race, Ned Lamont leads Dan Malloy because of his advantage in money and name recognition that he built during his 2006 Senate run,” Schwartz said.  “Foley dominates the largely unknown Mike Fedele and Oz Griebel.”

From May 24 – 25, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,159 Connecticut registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.   The survey includes 379 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points and 231 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 6.5 percentage points.

From Ned Lamont:

Lamont Campaign Statement on Today’s Q-Poll

New Haven, CT – Businessman Ned Lamont’s campaign released the following statement after the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute announced the results of a statewide poll that showed Lamont expanding his lead in the Democratic gubernatorial primary:

“These numbers show that Ned’s experiences creating jobs and challenging the political status quo are important to Connecticut families. With each poll, we’ve seen Ned’s support grow as he tells more voters about his plan to put Connecticut back to work and move our state forward,” said Lamont’s Communications Director Justine Sessions.

“The voters recognize that Connecticut needs a leader who isn’t afraid to shake things up in Hartford, and they know that Ned is the one with the experience and ideas to do it.”

Today’s Q-Poll showed Lamont opening a 17-point lead over his Democratic challenger, up from 10 points in their last poll on March 18. Lamont led 28-18 in March and is now leading 41-24. In each consecutive Q-Poll, Lamont’s share of the vote continues to grow.

From Dan Malloy:

MALLOY CAMPAIGN RESPONDS TO Q-POLL

Dan Kelly, Campaign Manager for the Dan Malloy for Governor campaign, today responded to a new poll from Quinnipiac University:

“So much for Ned’s poll in which he claimed to be leading by 35 points; if his poll was right and the Q-poll is right that’s an 18-point drop for him. Not great. As for the Q-Poll, in January Dan was at 11 and Ned was at 27. Today Dan’s at 24 and Ned’s at 41. That means they’ve each moved by almost the same amount. But Ned’s spent a million dollars on TV and Dan hasn’t spent a dime.

“We’ve been saying for weeks we thought he’d open up a big lead in the Q-poll, and quite frankly, given that he’s spent a million dollars on television and we haven’t spent a dime, I’m surprised Ned’s not leading by more. Given that he has this lead and all this money, I can’t understand why he has yet to accept Dan’s invitation to debate in every community in Connecticut where there’s a daily newspaper. What’s he afraid of? This campaign is only beginning, and once people start tuning in and we start spending money on television to communicate with them – and that will happen fairly soon – the polls will begin to close. We are confident that we will win this primary because people will understand that Dan has the right kind of experience to fix what’s broken in state government and put Connecticut back to work.”

State Senate Races, What’s Ernie’s Future?

This inferno blast is not the greatest weather to scour petition signatures to hoist your name on the ballot. That’s what Marilyn Moore who ran a close State Senate primary against Anthony Musto in 2008 is doing in her quest for a rematch. Anthony received the endorsement from party regulars the other night and now Moore must secure signatures from five percent of registered Dems in the 22nd Senatorial comprised of Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe. She has until June 8 to submit her signatures. Moore defeated Musto across the city two years ago but ran into a wall in Trumbull where Musto overwhelmed in his home town. If Moore makes the ballot she’ll be on Ned Lamont’s gubernatorial line, Musto on the endorsed line of Dan Malloy. Moore must find a way to carve into Musto’s Trumbull base to have any chance.

On the Republican side it looks like a primary between former State Rep. Elaine Hammers and Trumbull Councilman David Pia.

In the 23rd Senatorial where Ed Gomes is king in an overwhelmingly Dem district, Republican Milton Johnson will try to dent Eddie’s crown. GOP operatives say they will push to secure the public financing that would provide Johnson $100K.

I’m wondering (that’s always dangerous) about the state senator who had the seat before Eddie? Ernie Newton is back in the area finishing up his five-year sentence in a halfway house. I gotta think the Moses of his peeps is looking forward to getting back in the electoral action. The calendar doesn’t work to his advantage this cycle, but 2012 could be it. There’s no prohibition on Ernie running for public office once he’s completed his time, provided he has satisfied any leftover fines and restitution from his sentencing. In the state of Connecticut offenders are allowed to vote (you must be an elector to run for office) provided they’re not incarcerated and have met court-ordered financial obligations. The law on this was changed about 12 years ago, to restore voting privileges and make the ballot more accessible, signed by no other than Governor John Rowland. Maybe he knew something? Nah.

Green Gourmet

Next time you’re in Black Rock, better yet this is worth a special trip, check out Green Gourmet To Go at 984 Fairfield Avenue. www.greengourmettogo.comThis place and the food is the berries. OIB friend Tom Kelly and I dined on slammin’ black-bean burgers and sweet potato fries the other day. Linda Soper-Kolton has created a jewel for vegans, wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, all natural dinners. She has soups, salads and starters, sandwiches and entrees, plus sensational sweet treats. Linda was trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York. Check it out. And she caters as well.

Party Tonight, From Cougar Rodgerson

DCC announces its last free Downtown Outdoor Concert on the Baldwin Plaza Green

Who: The Downtown Community Council

What: Free 5-hour concert, public art exhibition, circus performers, BBQ, picnicking, lawn games, and a movie after dark (Harry Smith’s “Heaven and Earth Magic”)

Where: Baldwin Plaza Green behind the Fairfield County Courthouse-intersection of Fairfield Ave. and Broad Street.

When: 5pm to 10pm Thursday May 27th

The Downtown Community Council (DCC), a collective of downtown Bridgeport residents and stakeholders, announces its first Baldwin Plaza Concert of 2010 and final event in a three year series. Since 2008, the DCC has provided free, regular, all-volunteer international-caliber entertainment for thousands on the Baldwin Plaza Green every Thursday night from May to October.

The DCC concert series, which has sponsored over 40 free outdoor concerts and outdoor movies on the green, faces an uncertain future due to a lack of resources. Members note that continuing the series has always remained a question of the all-volunteer capacity of the DCC, the generosity of artists, the effectiveness of Facebook media and word of mouth, and the functionality of borrowed member and Public Library equipment upon which the group is heavily reliant.

The event will feature musical groups ‘The Dreams’ and ‘Discipline for Youth’ from Metz, France. It will also feature a rare area appearance by Bridgeport/Harlem axis band The Chinese Restaurants, Teepee from Miami, Fl and three other experimental/avant garde groups from Bridgeport and New Haven. The evening is entitled “Park City Noise 5” and it is the fifth collaboration between local Bridgeport and Brooklyn-based artists, a collaboration begun 7 years ago at the defunct NEST Arts Factory (last year’s Park City Noise 4 consisted of Whitney Museum fellows playing at the now-defunct Avant Garden Gallery on Golden Hill Street in Downtown North.) Park City Noise is a showcase for experimental musicians of international accord.

Rain location will be at the Gallery at Crescent Street, 51 Crescent Street in Bridgeport’s East Side.

As with all DCC events, there will be downtown public artist exhibitions, circus performers, BBQs available for use, lawn games, and a movie after dark.

Event is BYOB and Free. Attendees are encourages to bring food, drink, lawn games and friends: www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=101681503206669&ref=ts

Contact: downtowncommunitycouncil@gmail.com

or www.bridgeportdcc.org

From Dan Malloy:

MALLOY INVITES LAMONT TO SERIES OF PUBLIC DEBATES IN EVERY COMMUNITY WITH A DAILY NEWSPAPER

Says this should be ‘a different kind of campaign’

Dan Malloy, the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate for Governor, today invited fellow Democrat and gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont to a series of public debates on the major issues facing Connecticut. Malloy asked that Lamont join him in debates that would be sponsored by local media outlets in every community across Connecticut that’s home to a daily newspaper; most of these communities also have local radio stations. In addition, Malloy said he would ask new media – online news sites and blogs – to play an active role as well, in order to share the conversations with as many voters as possible.

“Every election cycle, voters and the media say the same thing – that it should be a campaign that focuses on a substantive debate of the critical issues we’re facing,” said Malloy. “Well they’re right, it should be that way, and it’s in that spirit that I’m making this proposal. Let’s have some old-fashioned, kitchen table style debates, and let’s do them in public across the state. It’s time that we put our ideas on the table, and our faith in the voters to make the best choice.”

Continued Malloy, “In the past, due to the fact that I had to spend countless hours raising money, I couldn’t have realistically issued this invitation. After qualifying for the Citizens’ Election Program, I’m liberated from the old way of doing things, and I want to take full advantage of it by giving the people of Connecticut a campaign they can be proud of. And, since Ned will be relying largely on his family’s wealth, he’ll also have the time to do this. He has no reason not to take me up on this offer.”

Malloy said he planned to call Lamont this afternoon, and to invite him to work cooperatively to put this series of debates together. He also said his campaign will reach out to the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association, the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, and individual local media outlets as potential partners in the effort.

“There are some very real differences in this campaign, and we should want to talk about them as often as possible, and in public – I sure do,” continued Malloy. “Ned thinks his background as a cable executive has prepared him to be Governor. I think my background as a prosecutor and Mayor of Connecticut’s most successful city is better preparation for the job. I’m for paid sick days, Ned’s against them. I believe deeply in the state’s Clean Elections Program, Ned doesn’t. The list goes on.”

“I hope he will join me in giving Connecticut a different kind of campaign – one it can truly be proud of,” concluded Malloy. “And who knows, maybe we can set a new standard for what campaigns in Connecticut are all about, and for what voters should expect from candidates. We’re all familiar with the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Obviously I’m not putting either one of us in that company, but … wouldn’t it be fun if our legacy was the Malloy-Lamont debates of 2010?”

From Anthony Musto:

CT EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE NAMES SEN. MUSTO ‘2010 CHILD CHAMPION’

Hartford – The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance has recognized state Senator Anthony Musto (D-Trumbull), co-chair of the General Assembly’s Select Committee on Children, as a 2010 Child Champion for his legislative commitment to improving the educational, health and emotional well-being of young children in Connecticut.

During the 2010 regular legislative session, Senator Musto was a key advocate in the Senate for legislation directly impacting Connecticut’s children, including the country’s first comprehensive response to the recession’s impact on children.

“As legislators, we have a responsibility to speak for those who have no voice,” said Senator Musto. “We can never forget that responsibility and the very important part that our state policies play in the lives of thousands of children across this state. I’m honored to be recognized by the Early Childhood Alliance and proud of the work that the Children’s Committee was able to accomplish on a bipartisan basis this year.”

The Alliance also recognized Senator Musto for his support of a ban on cadmium content in children’s jewelry. He also supported funding for school-based health centers and rejected a proposal to close enrollment in the Care 4 Kids daycare program.

The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance is a group of approximately 50 state organizations and thousands of individuals committed to improving developmental outcomes in the areas of learning, health, safety and economic security for children ages birth to eight.

The goal of the Alliance is for all children born in Connecticut to enter kindergarten healthy, eager to learn and ready for school success. Member organizations provide care and provide education for nearly 20,000.

For more information, please visit www.earlychildhoodalliance.com