Gov. Ned Lamont holds a 20-point lead over Greenwich state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the Connecticut governor's race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The survey of 1,225 likely voters found 58 percent back Lamont, the incumbent Democrat seeking a third term, and 38 percent back Fazio, the Republican challenger. Three percent chose neither candidate. The poll was conducted Oct. 8 through Oct. 12 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

The gap has widened since Quinnipiac's Sept. 16 survey, when Lamont led 55 to 38 percent with 7 percent undecided. Lamont gained three points while Fazio held steady, suggesting the governor captured most of the previously undecided voters.

"Ned Lamont looks headed to a very comfortable victory," said Doug Schwartz, associate vice president and director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. Schwartz called it the biggest lead for a Connecticut gubernatorial candidate in two decades, since Jodi Rell led John DeStefano by 24 points in a November 2006 Quinnipiac poll.

A separate Emerson College poll released Thursday, Oct. 15, showed a narrower but still double-digit gap. That survey of 800 likely voters put Lamont at 51 percent and Fazio at 38 percent, with 11 percent undecided.

Name recognition remains a hurdle

Fazio faces a visibility problem. Thirty percent of likely voters said they haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion, according to the Quinnipiac poll. Only 33 percent view him favorably, while 35 percent view him unfavorably. Lamont's favorability stands at 54 percent.

Schwartz attributed the margin partly to that gap, saying the 30 percent of voters unfamiliar with Fazio is a major factor in the lopsided numbers.

Cost of living tops voter concerns

Likely voters ranked cost of living (24 percent) and the economy (21 percent) as their top issues, followed by taxes (13 percent), health care (10 percent) and immigration (10 percent). Lamont leads among voters who prioritize cost of living, the economy and health care. Fazio leads among those who rank taxes or immigration first.

Fazio has centered his campaign on affordability. At a campaign stop in Bloomfield in early September, as CT Public reported, he compared the state's tax burden to a second mortgage and its electric bills to rent.

He has proposed $2.5 billion in annual tax cuts by the fourth year of his administration, mostly through income-tax reductions, paired with $1 billion in spending cuts, according to the Stamford Advocate.

Campaign reactions

Ben Proto, the Republican state chairman, told the NewsTimes that GOP internal polling does not match the Quinnipiac numbers. "The race is a lot closer," Proto said.

Lamont's campaign spokesperson Lauren Gray said voters "see right through" attacks on the governor, according to the same report.

What's next

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Nov. 1. Polls will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days, with extended hours on Oct. 27 and Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Same-day voter registration is available during the early voting period.

Lamont and Fazio will debate Oct. 27 at Mohegan Sun, hosted by WTNH and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM). The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.