Raleigh, N.C.– Much has happened in the 10 months since PPP last surveyed the Nutmeg state, but nothing that has drastically altered Connecticut voters’ perception of their major politicians. Governor Dan Malloy’s already ugly approval rating got a little uglier, sinking from -16 to -18, while freshman Senator Richard Blumenthal’s rating has also taken a hit, dropping to +13 at 49% approving and 36% disapproving, from +18 in September.

Governor Malloy’s numbers have actually improved somewhat with Democrats, who now approve of his performance by +19, compared to +12. However, his support among independents has withered significantly from an already underwhelming -19 net approval to -28. Malloy’s reelection numbers have recovered some, from -11 when pitted against 2010 opponent Tom Foley to -7 now against an unnamed Republican. This movement can be entirely explained by an increase in undecideds due to the nameless challenger, however, and Malloy is clearly still in trouble.

Senator Joe Lieberman, on the other hand, has experienced a small bounce in his swan song on the way to retirement. His approval rating has rebounded from -9 to -2 since September, with 41% of voters now approving of his job performance and 43% disapproving. Curiously, this bump is fueled by increases in support from both very liberal (from -58 to -42) and very conservative voters (from -10 to +26). Independents have reversed their standing on Lieberman, now approving by a 5 point margin compared to a 19 point deficit 10 months ago.

Connecticut’s opinion on gay marriage hasn’t shifted much, with the margin for keeping it legal almost unchanged, but there are a few noteworthy related numbers. An outright majority, 51%, of voters now favor marriage over any alternative, including civil unions. Also, only 11% of voters now prefer no legal recognition of same sex unions.

Finally Geno Auriemma has the better public image of the state’s two prominent basketball coaches. His favorability is 57/10, compared to just 35/20 for Jim Calhoun.

PPP surveyed 771 Connecticut voters from July 26th to 29th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.53%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Dan Malloy’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .33%
Disapprove…………. .51%
Not sure …………….. .16%

Q2 Generally speaking, if there was an election
today, would you vote for Democrat Dan Malloy
or his Republican opponent?
Dan Malloy…………. .39%
Republican
opponent……………..46%
Not sure …………….. .16%

Q3 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Joe
Lieberman’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .41%
Disapprove…………. .43%
Not sure …………….. .17%

Q4 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Richard Blumenthal’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .49%
Disapprove…………. .36%
Not sure …………….. .15%

Q5 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal …………………. .55%
Illegal ………………… .33%
Not sure …………….. .12%

Q6 Which of the following best describes your
opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should
be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples
should be allowed to form civil unions but not
legally marry, or there should be no legal
recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should
be allowed to legally
marry…………………..51%
Gay couples should
be able to form civil
unions but not
marry…………………..37%
There should be no
legal recognition of
a gay couple’s
relationship ………….11%
Not sure …………….. . 1%

Q7 Has the legalization of gay marriage in
Connecticut had a positive or negative impact
on your life, or has it not had any impact at all?
Positive impact……. .16%
Negative impact ….. .14%
No impact at all …… .70%
Not sure …………….. . 0%

Q8 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Jim Calhoun?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 35%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 20%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 45%

Q9 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Geno Auriemma?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 57%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 10%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 33%

Q10 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 14%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 19%
Moderate………………………………………………… 34%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 23%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 10%

Q11 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%

Q12 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 41%
Republican……………………………………………… 28%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 30%

Q13 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 10%
White …………………………………………………….. 77%
African-American …………………………………….. 7%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%

Q14 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 15%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 37%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 24%