Q-Poll: Malloy Lead Over Foley at 3 Points.

Leapin’ Lizards Alert:  The latest Quinnipiac survey of the race for governor finds Republican Tom Foley nipping at the heels of Democrat Dan Malloy.  The former Stamford mayor leads the Greenwich businessman 45%-42%.  Mr. Foley, according to the Q-Poll’s Doug Schwartz, is closing the gap, which stood at 9 points two weeks ago, by winning the support from independent voters, the state’s largest bloc.

As in Tuesday’s Senate poll, men are going with the Republican, women favor the Democrat.  The Foley campaign is running a soft testimonial ad from the former ambassador’s wife Leslie, suggesting that the campaign’s private polling is finding the same gap.  The close race is expected to ignite some harsh rounds of advertising between the two brawlers, both of whom launched unrestrained assaults on their opposition in the summer primaries.  Mr. Malloy accused Ned Lamont of engaging in racial discrimination in his cable television business.  Mr. Foley painted Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele as serving in a tax-and-spend liberal administration.

Malloy campaign manager Dan Kelly minimized the significance of the polls, especially ones conducted by Quinnipiac, with an early morning statement that began, “We don’t pay much attention to polls.  This same poll had Dan down by 3 the day before the primary, a race he won by 14 points.”

Neither Dan Malloy nor Tom Foley shrinks from confrontation.  Each is thoroughly Sanforized. They’ll continue to talk about the need for jobs, the virtues of agriculture, and the necessity for robust tourism industry, but they’ll be stripping the bark off each other on television and radio.  Close races don’t elevate the tenor of a campaign.