NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Election Day is Nov. 8, less than two weeks away. The balance of power in Washington could hinge on who wins the Senate races around the country.
News 8 teamed up with The Hill and Emerson College Polling to launch our third and final exclusive poll of the midterm election season. On Tuesday, we released the poll results for the race for governor and looked at what issues are motivating voters to cast their ballots.
Compared to our last poll in September, the margins in the race for U.S. Senate in Connecticut are the same.
If the election for U.S. Senate were held today, who would you vote for at this time?
| Frequency | Percent | Valid Percent | Cumulative Percent | |
| Republican Leora Levy | 403 | 40.3 | 40.3 | 40.3 |
| Democrat Richard Blumenthal | 530 | 53.0 | 53.0 | 93.3 |
| Someone else | 16 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 94.9 |
| Undecided | 51 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 100.0 |
| Total | 1000 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Democratic incumbent Richard Blumenthal maintains a 13-point lead over Republican nominee Leora Levy, 53% to 40%. Five percent are undecided, and 2% would support someone else.
When it comes to favorability ratings, a majority of voters (53%) have a favorable view of Blumenthal, while 41% have a favorable view of Levy.
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Richard Blumenthal?
| Frequency | Percent | Valid Percent | Cumulative Percent | |
| Very favorable | 333 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 |
| Somewhat favorable | 193 | 19.3 | 19.3 | 52.6 |
| Somewhat unfavorable | 91 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 61.7 |
| Very unfavorable | 341 | 34.1 | 34.1 | 95.8 |
| Unsure | 28 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 98.6 |
| Never heard of this person | 14 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 100.0 |
| Total | 1000 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Leora Levy?
| Frequency | Percent | Valid Percent | Cumulative Percent | |
| Very favorable | 241 | 24.1 | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| Somewhat favorable | 164 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 40.6 |
| Somewhat unfavorable | 82 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 48.8 |
| Very unfavorable | 275 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 76.3 |
| Unsure | 137 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 90.0 |
| Never heard of this person | 100 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 100.0 |
| Total | 1000 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Four percent are unsure or have never heard of Blumenthal, compared to 24% who are unsure or have not heard of Levy.
Levy was not on TV for 10 weeks. She recently held a fundraiser at former President Donald Trump’s Mara-Lago resort to pay for more political ads.
“Those are the type of game changers that will move the needle in a political election,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Communication activities, advertisements, and if she hasn’t been on the airwaves communicating, then she does have a chance to tighten this race in the next couple of weeks as she defines herself to the voters.”
“Our opponent is Donald Trump’s choice while Sen. Blumenthal is working to Connecticut,” Blumenthal’s campaign spokesman Ty McEachern said. “He is focused on his job, delivering results for the people of Connecticut. Sen. Blumenthal will continue to work as he always does like he’s 10 points behind.”
“As voters learn more about Blumenthal’s alliance with radicals who want to defund the police and how his policies have created the rising costs that affect everyone, it will continue to get worse for Dishonest Dick,” Levy’s campaign spokesman, Tim Saler said.
On Thursday, starting at 6 a.m. on Good Morning Connecticut, we’ll share the results of a hotly contested race that hasn’t been looked at in-depth this election cycle: the 5th Congressional District race between incumbent Democrat Jahana Hayes and Republican challenger George Logan.
The survey of Connecticut voters was conducted Oct. 19-21. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.