Politics & Government

Poll: Malloy Beatable in 2014

The survey was paid for by Republican Tom Foley, the Greenwich millionaire who narrowly lost to Malloy in 2010.

A new poll commissioned by Republican Tom Foley, who lost his gubernatorial bid in 2010 to Dannel P. Malloy, indicates the governor's political support in Connecticut is waning. 

"Incumbent Democratic Governor Dan Malloy is very vulnerable to a credible challenge in the 2014 election for Governor," according to the Tarrance Group, which conducted the poll. "Forty-seven percent (47%) of Connecticut voters indicate they believe it is time for a new person, and only thirty-seven percent (37%) believe that Malloy has done a good enough job to deserve re-election."

The survey of 504 likely voters was done March 18-20 and respondents also said that Foley would be the most likely Republican candidate to run against Malloy. 

Connecticut Democrats downplayed the poll results, according to the blog Capitol Watch. 

“It appears that Tom Foley can find the time to further his political ambitions through shoddy polling, but not the time to say whether or not he would have supported the historic gun violence prevention bill the Governor signed into law last week,” Capitol Watch quoted Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic party.

Other key findings of the survey included: 

  • A majority of both men and women voters believe things are off on the wrong track, and this is true for seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans and fifty-nine percent (59%) of unaffiliated voters.  
  • Among partisan Democrats, only forty-six percent (46%) believe that things in the state are going in the right direction, while forty percent (40%) believe they are off on the wrong track. 
  • Tom Foley has retained nearly his entire name ID from his 2010 candidacy, and remains very well-known with solid image ratings among Connecticut voters. 
  • Foley’s soft name ID is at eighty-nine percent (89%) with forty-eight percent (48%) favorable and twenty percent (20%) unfavorable. Only 11% of voters are unfamiliar with him. Foley’s 2.3 to 1 favorable to unfavorable ratio is quite strong compared to Malloy’s 1.5 to 1 favorable to unfavorable ratio.  
  • Of other potential Republican candidates, Larry Cafero and Mark Boughton have no significant statewide name ID. Both candidates’ hard name ID is at ten percent (10%) or less and soft name ID at sixteen and fourteen percent, respectively. John McKinney’s soft name ID is forty-three percent (43%). 
  • McKinney's statewide name ID is heavily concentrated in the fourth U.S. congressional district - a district his father, the late Stewart McKinney represented in the 1970’s and 80’s. 


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