New poll shows Dodd gains on GOP challenger

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is slowly gaining momentum in his tough fight for re-election, a new poll finds.

Dodd still trails his likely Republican opponent, Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), by five points in Quinnipiac University's latest poll, but Thursday's numbers are nonetheless an improvement over the nine-point deficit Dodd faced back in July.

“Sen. Christopher Dodd’s approval keeps edging up, and he is bringing down his high negatives," explained Doug Schwartz, Quinnipiac's poll director. "For the first time in six months, his disapproval is under 50 percent, just barely.”  

“But the incumbent has made only slight progress against Republican front-runner Rob Simmons," Schwartz added. "About 40 percent of voters will vote for anybody but Dodd, as evidenced by their willingness to vote for Republican candidates they haven’t heard of." 

Taken together, Thursday's numbers are still decent news for Dodd, considered one of the more vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2010. Previous polls have predicted Dodd trailed Simmons by as much as 10 points, suggesting the last year's banking crisis was to blame for the incumbent's heightened unpopularity.