Malloy Takes Slight Edge Over Foley As Election Day Arrives

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The latest polls have Gov. Dannel P. Malloy with a slim lead over his Republican opponent Tom Foley in the gubernatorial race as Election Day arrives, but one experienced political observer isn't making any bets on the outcome.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, of Stamford, right, is seeking to fend off the challenge from Republican Tom Foley of Greenwich, left, in the gubernatorial election Tuesday.
Photo Credit: *File*

Frank MacEachern

11/04/2014 5:20 a.m.

"I would be foolish to guess who's going to win," Gary Rose said with a laugh. He's chairman of the Department of Government and Politics at Sacred Heart University in Greenwich.

The race between the two men who also faced off against one another in 2010, an election that Malloy won by the incredibly close margin of 6,400 votes, is tight once again. Neither the Democratic incumbent or the Republican challenger has been able to sprint ahead of the other in the backstretch.

Malloy is hoping that a play from the 2010 playbook will help him again after President Barack Obama swept into Bridgeport on Sunday for an election-eve campaign rally to get out the Democratic vote. In 2010, Obama's late-in-the-campaign visit to Bridgeport is credited for sending city voters to the polls strongly for Malloy and giving him the victory.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday gave Malloy a 47 percent to 44 percent lead over Foley among likely voters as independent challenger Joe Visconti dropped out of the race (but remains on the ballot). However, 7 percent of the voters remained undecided. The poll of 926 likely voters was conducted between Tuesday and Sunday.

"Contrary to conventional wisdom, independent candidate Joe Visconti's last-minute exit from the governor's race doesn't look like it will help Republican Tom Foley," said Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

These results compare with an Oct. 29 survey by Quinnipiac University, showing Foley with 46 percent of likely voters to Malloy's 45 percent.

The final Rasmussen Reports statewide poll conducted late last week also gives Malloy the lead but by only a 1-point margin over Foley, 48 percent to 47 percent. The survey of 977 likely voters was conducted last Wednesday and Thursday.

Public Policy Polling's final poll also gave Malloy the edge with 47 percent of the vote over Foley, with 44 percent.

The final poll comes Tuesday as Connecticut voters cast their ballots in the rematch. Polls are opening from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. statewide.

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