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Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump 45 percent vs. 38 percent in a Connecticut presidential race in which there is little love for either candidate, said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.
"While Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump, her single digit lead is smaller than might be expected from true-blue Connecticut, and her negative favorability rating is almost as bad as his," said Schwartz.
"Maybe Connecticut will matter again in the general election, just as it did in the primaries. Trump won the primary overwhelmingly. Could he win here again in November? Unlikely, but there already have been so many surprises, who knows?"
When third-party candidates are added to the mix, Clinton gets 41 percent, with 36 percent for Trump, 6 percent for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and 3 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, the poll said.
A total of 37 percent of Connecticut voters have a "strongly favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion of Clinton, while 55 percent have a "somewhat unfavorable" or "strongly unfavorable" opinion.
Trump gets 33 percent "strongly favorable" or "somewhat unfavorable" and 61 percent "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable."
Connecticut voters say 61 percent vs. 37 percent that Clinton is prepared for the job as president, and say 69 percent vs. 30 percent that Trump is not prepared.
Clinton has the right "personality and temperament" to be president, voters say 60 percent vs. 39 percent, but Trump does not, voters say 68 percent vs. 29 percent.
"It's pretty amazing that Trump is within single digits of Clinton, given how poorly he scores on having the temperament and being prepared for the presidency," Schwartz said. "What Trump has going for him is the desire for change, and the weakness of Hillary Clinton."
In the Senate race, Democratic incumbent Blumenthal tops either of two possible Republican challengers by margins of 2-1:
- 60 percent vs. 30 percent over State Rep. Dan Carter of Bethel, who has received the Republican nomination;
- 62 percent vs. 27 percent over Stamford businessman August Wolf, who has said he plans a primary challenge in August.
Blumenthal gets a 60 percent vs. 31 percent job approval rating. A total of 59 percent of Connecticut voters have a "strongly favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion of him, with 27 percent "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable."
For Carter, 84 percent haven't heard enough to form an opinion of him and 83 percent haven't heard enough about Wolf.
Also, Connecticut voters approve 54 percent vs. 43 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, his best Q Poll score since March 17, 2010.
Democrats approve 91 percent vs. 9 percent, while Republicans disapprove 84 percent vs. 14 percent. Independent voters are divided as 48 percent approve and 49 percent disapprove.
Voters approve 53 percent vs. 31 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy is doing.
From June 1 to 5, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,330 Connecticut voters with a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
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