(CNN) - A new poll suggests that Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell's approval rating is on the rise and that she would beat all her potential Democratic challengers in next year's election. The only problem, Rell is not running for re-election.
According to a Quinnipiac University survey, 64 percent of registered voters in Connecticut approve of the job Rell is doing as governor, up 5 points from September. The poll's Tuesday release comes just hours after Rell, a Republican, announced she would not seek re-election in 2010.
The survey indicates that Rell would top Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz 46 percent to 40 percent, leads businessman Ned Lamont 53 percent to 33 percent, and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy by 19 points, in hypothetical general election matchups.
In a possible Democratic primary matchup, Bysiewicz gets 26 percent to 23 percent for Lamont, with 9 percent for Malloy, according to the poll.
With Rell not running for re-election, the Democratic Governors Association is moving Connecticut into its top tier of targeted 2010 pickup races.
"We are fortunate to have a strong field of Democratic candidates who are well-known public servants, each of whom has the knowledge, leadership, and judgment to
guide the state through these tough economic times," says Nathan Daschle, DGA executive director, in a press release.
Connecticut appears to be friendly territory for Democrats. President Obama won the state by 23 points and Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature. But the last Democrat to win a gubernatorial contest in Connecticut was William O'Neil in 1986.
Rell took over as Connecticut governor in July 2004, when predecessor John Rowland resigned in a corruption probe that eventually landed him behind bars. Rell was elected to her own full term in 2006, winning 63 percent of the vote.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted November 3-8, with 1,236 Connecticut registered voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for the overall sample.
Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
From CNN Politics
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Maybe she didn't meet the true Republican test.
Women like this apparently accomplished and able governor is what makes intelligent women in this country pause for thought when it comes to all the hoopla stirred up by a complete ZERO like Flailin Palin.
A year AFTER the presidential election I, and thousands of other women, continue to ask ourselves: What the heck was McCain thinking in choosing Caribou Barbie as his running mate?
The article does not address Ms. Rell's reasons for not choosing to run for re-election....????
Maybe this election will be a referendum on the success or failure of the conservative wingnuts to become a viable party.
Whoever Joe Lieberman endorses will lose.
This surprised me. I live in Connecticut and I'm a liberal democrat, but I was planning on voting for our Republican governor. She has done an excellent job. I really believe she could have coasted to reelection.
Smart move. Governor Rell is a reasonable, hard-working, intelligent, moderate republican in a blue state with a high approval rating. The right wing lunatics from out of state would feel compelled to attack her and replace her with a fascist nut job with yellow teeth, thereby thwarting any chance for re-election.
Rell may not be like the rest of the restive and restless repub. rogues who are raring to reign supreme once again, if possible, of course.
And why is she not running again?????
Can you say crooked dealings, possible fraud.
The only reason these OLD BLUE HAIRS stop running is if thier afraid of being busted for something.
Probably has not paid her taxes.............
That's kind of a shame, although I'm not entirely distraught. She raised recreational license fees by 100% this year which is reckless. That being said, were a lot smarter and safer with a Republican in office here than a Democrat.
As a Connecticut resident it's to bad Gonemor Rell did not veto the current budget, over a billion dollars of spending with no end in sight. On another note CT has twice as many state employees as California per capita, what gives with that. Jodi will be missed but we can do even better.
hehe...will be funny to watch if it plays out like NY23, but who knows. Personally, I could care less. The important thing is getting rid of Lieberman. Pull your heads out of your bums CT.
Too bad she wont be running, its wisdom to know when its time to exit and move on to other things.
Kudos to her – if every good person left the GOP there would still be millions of the evil ones.