The new Quinnipiac poll of Connecticut shows Chris Dodd continuing to struggle in his 2010 re-election bid -- though he might actually be improving from his previous doldrums.

Dodd trails former GOP Congressman Rob Simmons by a margin of 45%-39%, and Dodd edges out state Sen. Sam Caligiuri by 41%-39%, within the ±2.5% margin of error. In early April, Simmons led Dodd by 50%-34%, and Caligiuri was ahead by 41%-37%.

One number shows that Dodd still has a lot of weakness among the Democratic base: Against his primary challenger, businessman and first-time candidate Merrick Alpert, Dodd only has a lead of 44%-24%, with the incumbent below 50% against an unknown.

From the pollster's analysis: "Sen. Christopher Dodd's numbers are getting better but they are still lousy. He still has high negatives: About half of the voters don't trust Dodd and disapprove of the job he is doing. And he is still behind Simmons in a general election matchup."