Dodd In Trouble, New Poll Says

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) is struggling in his bid for reelection, according to a new poll out today from Quinnipiac University. Both big name potential GOP nominees now lead Dodd, with former Rep. Rob Simmons beating Dodd by double digits, 49-38. Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, another potential GOP opponent, also beats Dodd by a slimmer margin.

But as the pollster said it in its release today, those names are just two of the problems Dodd faces:

"Even potential Republican contenders with almost no name recognition and almost no Republican primary voter support give Dodd a run for his money."

Dodd, the longest serving senator in Connecticut history, first took office in 1980. Since then he's become one of the most powerful names on Capitol Hill as chairman of the Banking Committee. But scandal and a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 -- which included Dodd moving his family to Iowa -- cost him with voters back home.

Today's Q poll shows that Dodd's job approval is in free fall. In the pollsters last poll back in September, 49% of respondents disapproved of the job Dodd is doing in the Senate, while 43% approved. In today's poll, Dodd's disapproval/approval number stands at 54-40. Just 39% of respondents to today's poll said Dodd deserved to be reelected, and 53% said it was time for someone else to take the seat.

The Connecticut Democratic party says it's not worried however. "We'll see lots of polls over the course of this campaign, some accurate, and some not," state party spokesperson Colleen Flanagan told TPMDC today. "In truth, we have a hard time believing Chris Dodd has done anything but strengthen his political position based on his well-publicized and heroic work on healthcare reform, tightening our country's financial regulations and protecting consumers; coverage that contrasts starkly with the Jerry Springer-like atmosphere of the Republican Senate Primary."

"We're not taking this poll particularly seriously," she said. "Chris Dodd will continue to do his job every single day on behalf of the people he was elected to represent."