QU Poll shows Dodd gaining ground

New Haven (WTNH) - Just like the Joe Lieberman Senate Race in 2006, next year's Chris Dodd Senate Race is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched in the country.

And a new Quinnipiac University Poll shows Dodd still in trouble with voters but bringing the Democratic faithful back to his side.

Dodd got a big boost when it was announced that the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee has unanimously voted a resolution in support of him. But his poll numbers are still bad, indicating voters are still mad at him.

The latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows some favorable news for the State's Senior Senator; things aren't as bad as they were but he is still trailing one of his potential challengers.

The latest poll shows former 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons leading Dodd in a potential match up by about ten points but it was 25 points back in April.

"He's got plenty of time, he's got a year and a half before the election; he's a very savvy campaigner, this is a blue state, so you certainly can't count Senator Dodd out," said Doug Schwartz of the Quinnipiac Poll.

And as of now, Simmons appears to be a huge favorite among Republican voters in a potential primary.

Among G-O-P voters, Simmons gets 42 percent with both former Ambassador Tom Foley of Greenwich and State Senator Sam Caligiuri at 5 percent.

Most people say they don't know enough about Foley, who has never held office, and they don't know enough about Caligiuri whose district is in Greater Waterbury.

It does appear that the heavy schedule of pro Dodd TV commercials has had an impact. A commercial campaign with the slogan: 'Chris Dodd, he's fighting back for us.'

The Quinnipiac Poll shows that Dodd's favorability numbers, among Connecticut residents, have gone up 10 points in past three months.

"He is making some progress on the job approval front. His numbers are up, especially among Democrats; he's back above 70 percent but he's still struggling with independents and they're going to be a lot tougher to get back than his own partisans," said Schwartz.

Dodd is planning to be in Connecticut this weekend and visit Manchester Hospital to talk about the National Health Care Reform effort.