{"id":65790,"date":"2012-09-19T00:15:09","date_gmt":"2012-09-19T04:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=65790"},"modified":"2012-09-25T08:39:39","modified_gmt":"2012-09-25T12:39:39","slug":"university-of-connecticuthartford-courant-poll-key-u-s-senate-race-a-dead-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2012\/09\/university-of-connecticuthartford-courant-poll-key-u-s-senate-race-a-dead-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Connecticut\/Hartford Courant Poll: Key U.S. Senate Race a Dead Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. Senate candidates\u2019 support across Connecticut, statewide.
Question: \u201cAnd thinking about the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut in November, will you vote for Linda McMahon, the Republican; Chris Murphy, the Democrat; someone else; or haven\u2019t you decided yet?\u201d
Source: Survey by the University of Connecticut\/Hartford Courant of 517 likely Connecticut voters, Sept. 11-Sept. 16, 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The U.S. Senate race in Connecticut, which could determine whether the Democratic Party holds onto its narrow majority in the chamber, is a statistical dead heat with just over six weeks to go until Election Day, according to a new University of Connecticut-Hartford Courant poll released Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The poll of likely voters gives Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy a slight edge, with 37 percent of the vote to Republican candidate Linda McMahon\u2019s 33 percent, and 28 percent undecided. But since the margin falls within the poll\u2019s 4 percent margin of error, it\u2019s essentially a tie, said poll director Jennifer Dineen, a lecturer in public policy at UConn.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, this is anyone\u2019s race,\u201d she said. \u201cBoth candidates need to focus on that large number of undecided voters if they want to open up a lead going into the home stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The University of Connecticut-Hartford Courant Poll is a joint effort between one of the nation\u2019s top public research universities and the oldest continuously published newspaper in America. The purpose of the poll is to provide unbiased opinion research into critical questions affecting both the state of Connecticut and the nation.<\/p>\n

Nearly half of unaffiliated voters were still undecided, leaving that crucial vote largely up for grabs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good news for McMahon that she\u2019s winning over independents at that rate, but both campaigns should see it as an opportunity that one in two unaffiliated voters is still on the fence,\u201d Dineen said.<\/p>\n

The Murphy campaign can take some encouragement in the fact that the relatively large number of undecided Democratic voters gives him a chance to bolster his overall numbers. While just 17 percent of Republicans remain undecided, 27 percent of Democrats have not made up their minds yet.<\/p>\n

The high number of undecided voters comes despite months of television commercials blanketing the airwaves and thousands of mailers sent to homes across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe voters seem to be waiting for either candidate to give them a definitive reason for their support on November 6,\u201d Dineen said. \u201cWith less than 50 days to go, it looks like this election is going to be decided by which candidate does a better job of mobilizing those voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. Senate candidates\u2019 support across Connecticut, by region.
Question: \u201cAnd thinking about the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut in November, will you vote for Linda McMahon, the Republican; Chris Murphy, the Democrat; someone else; or haven\u2019t you decided yet?\u201d
Source: Survey by the University of Connecticut\/Hartford Courant of 517 likely Connecticut voters, Sept. 11-Sept. 16, 2012.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the poll\u2019s other findings:<\/p>\n