Ned Lamont, left, trails Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut), right, 53-41 among likely voters in a new poll.
Despite losing the Democratic primary earlier this month, Sen. Joe Lieberman (D) holds double-digit leads over his two November opponents, a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning shows.
Lieberman gets support from 53 percent of likely voters, while Democratic nominee Ned Lamont receives 41 percent and embattled GOP nominee Alan Schlesinger registers only 4 percent.
Lieberman has launched an independent bid for re-election after losing to Lamont in a race that was largely about the incumbent's support for the Iraq war. Lieberman has come under fire for his continued support of the Iraq war, an issue Lamont was able to seize on and ride to victory in the Democratic primary.
But the Quinnipiac poll shows that Lieberman's political appeal extends far beyond the Democratic base, support that he will need to win a fourth term.
"Sen. Lieberman's support among Republicans is nothing short of amazing," Quinnipiac Poll Director Douglas Schwartz said in a statement accompanying the release of the poll. "It more than offsets what he has lost among Democrats. As long as Lieberman maintains this kind of support among Republicans, while holding onto a significant number of Democratic voters, the veteran senator will be hard to beat."
Several of Lieberman's Democratic colleagues, though, are trying to do just that. Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) sent out an e-mail to his financial supporters Wednesday asking them to donate to Lamont's campaign. Today, former Sen. John Edwards (D-North Carolina) heads to New Haven, Connecticut to attend a campaign rally for Lamont. Other Democrats such as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York) have cut checks to Lamont. As for Schlesinger, he has been unable to attract support from Republican Gov. Jodi Rell or the White House.
