Simmons leads Dodd, McMahon by 11

Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.) has regained a double-digit lead over Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), but he's got a primary on his hands first.

A new Quinnipiac poll shows Simmons leading Dodd 49-38 in the general election. First, though, the GOP primary is still very much up in the air, with Simmons at 28 percent, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon at 17 percent and former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley is at 9 percent.

McMahon also leads Dodd in the general election, 43-41. The self-funder has been spending feverishly to get her name ID up, and the first public poll that includes her shows she could be a contender. Still, though, 66 percent of voters don't know her well enough to rate her favorability.

Dodd has been slowly regaining his good name in recent polling, but this poll shows him actually losing ground in the last two months. Voters disapprove of his job performance 54-40.

"After inching up in the polls for months, Sen. Christopher Dodd is sliding back down again on job approval," Quinnipiac poll director Douglas Schwartz said. "He continues to struggle with independent voters as 60 percent disapprove of the way he is handling his job. President Barack Obama is still popular with independents, but voters say that his support of Dodd won't affect their Senate vote."