From Dan Haar, Hearst Media:
With the race for governor heating up amid charges and counter-charges, Gov. Ned Lamont’s lead over state Sen. Ryan Fazio has narrowed in the last month, a Sacred Heart University/WFSB/CT Insider poll shows.
Lamont, the Democratic incumbent seeking a third, four-year term, leads Fazio, his Republican challenger, by 14 percentage points, 48% to 34%, in a poll of 1,000 voters.
That compares with a 50% to 29% margin in the same poll released Aug. 3. At the time, Lamont faced an Aug. 11 primary against Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, which the governor won handily.
Among likely voters, the gap expanded to 17 percentage points, 54% to 36% in favor of Lamont. That is the same as the gap among likely voters that the Aug. 3 poll showed.
It has been widely believed that Fazio, 36, would narrow the gap between himself and 72-year-old Lamont over the summer as voters’ attention turned toward the race. With $18 million in public financing, Fazio has ramped up spending especially on video ads, and has launched a flurry of announcements on policy and politics along with spots designed to introduce himself as a likable and effective fellow.
