Dodd’s rating drops after White House run

Sen. Chris Dodd’s failed presidential campaign appears to have hurt him in Connecticut according to a new survey that showed the Democrat with his lowest poll numbers in 14 years.   

The poll by Quinnipiac University shows the Senate Banking Committee chairman with a 47 percent approval rating. That’s down from 60 percent in May 2007 shortly after he declared his candidacy for president. Dodd faces re-election in 2010.   

{mosads}Quinnipiac polling director Douglas Schwartz said Dodd’s numbers began dropping shortly after he started running for president. Dodd traveled to Iowa, where he campaigned for months with his family.    

“It fed the perception that he wasn’t paying enough attention to Connecticut,” Schwartz said. “People looked at his polling numbers, thought he didn’t have much chance, and couldn’t see why he was spending so much time out there.”

Dodd dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination immediately after the Iowa caucuses, where he finished with less than 1 percent of the vote.   

Dodd also has undergone scrutiny in the local media about mortgage loans he received from Countrywide Financial, which included Dodd in a special program. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, questions have arisen about conflicts of interest in the arrangement, although Dodd has denied knowing he was given any special treatment.   

The good news for Dodd, Schwartz said, is that he is so far not challenged for re-election.

“Sen. Dodd’s low approval rating is bad news for any incumbent, but at this point there is no strong Republican challenger on the horizon,” Schwartz said.  

Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), who lost his re-election bid in November, and GOP Gov. Jodi Rell would both be seen as credible candidates, but neither has indicated an interest in running against Dodd, who is in his fifth term.    

Quinnipiac polled 1,445 registered voters in the state from Dec. 11-15, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Dodd spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said Dodd is aware of his polling numbers and is focused on serving his state.

“These are tough economic times for our country and Senator Dodd understands the challenges people are facing,” DeAngelis said. “The senator looks forward to working with President-elect Obama to  strengthen our economy and bring much needed relief to those affected  by this crisis. He plans to continue working hard on behalf of the 
people of Connecticut and believes the politics will then take it care  of itself.”

The Quinnipiac poll found even worse news for Dodd’s colleague, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent who bucked Democrats this year to support GOP Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) for president. Only 38 percent of respondents approve of Lieberman’s job performance, with 54 percent disapproving. That has tumbled from an 80 percent approval rating the independent senator received in September 2000, when running as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.  

Schwartz attributed Lieberman’s drop in the polls to his strong support for the war in Iraq and for McCain — Lieberman endorsed the Republican for president in December 2007, and his approval ratings have fallen from 52 to 38 percent.

Schwartz said Lieberman’s disapproval numbers are the highest of any sitting senator as measured by a Quinnipiac poll, save for Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, who resigned in 2002.

“We specifically asked people about his support of McCain, and 42 percent said they felt less favorably about him,” Schwartz said. “His numbers had already fallen prior to that because of his support for the war, and then they went even further after his support for McCain.”  

In response, Lieberman spokesman Marshall Wittmann issued the following statement: “Senator Lieberman is entirely focused on the future and working with our new President and his Congressional colleagues to revive the economy, reform health care and keep our country secure.”