McMahon, Blumenthal virtually tied in Connecticut

In what could be a serious blow to Democrats' chances in November, Linda McMahon has pulled virtually even with Dick Blumenthal in Connecticut's Senate race. A new Quinnipiac University poll finds Blumenthal with just a 3-point lead over his GOP opponent, within the survey's margin of error.

That's perhaps the biggest shift of political fortunes for any Democrat this election cycle. Back in late May, Blumenthal lead his GOP opponent by 25 points — and that poll was taken after a damaging New York Times story found the Democratic nominee had exaggerated his service in Vietnam. The Vietnam controversy — which Blumenthal characterized as a few "misplaced words" — was initially viewed as one of the Democrat's biggest liabilities this fall.

But with just five weeks to go before Election Day, Blumenthal's biggest problem may be his party affiliation. According to the new Quinnipiac poll, 43 percent of likely voters in the state say they are "dissatisfied" with the federal government, and 33 percent say they are "angry." That, in turn, seems to have prompted McMahon's surge in recent months. Among voters who say they are "angry," 78 percent support McMahon. Meanwhile, 44 percent of voters who say they will support McMahon this fall say they consider their vote to be "against Blumenthal."

McMahon now leads Blumenthal by 1 point among self-described independent voters. She also leads among men, 56 percent to 39 percent. Blumenthal leads among women, 49 percent to 44 percent.

Yet McMahon, a former World Wrestling Entertainment exec, still faces some serious obstacles heading into November. For one, voters are about evenly split on whether they like her or not. Forty-three percent of likely voters view her unfavorably, while 42 percent have a favorable opinion of her. Meanwhile, 56 percent of likely voters say they find her virtually nonstop TV ads in the race "annoying" — a hint that there could be some backlash to the more than $22 million of her own cash she's spent on the race, mostly on TV spots.

Add that to the fact that a significant portion of McMahon's support seems to be driven by the anti-Democratic, anti-Blumenthal voters, and the race remains highly volatile.

Blumenthal's campaign has responded to the Quinnipiac numbers by insisting their internal polls suggest they have a lead of more than 10 points in the race. But still, this is not great news for Democratic Party committees, which could be forced to spend money on races once believed to be safe Dem territory in a year when resources are already spread thin.

In addition to Connecticut, the party is also looking at tighter-than-expected races in West Virginia, where Gov. Joe Manchin is virtually tied with GOP opponent John Raese, and California, where Barbara Boxer holds a very narrow lead over Republican Carly Fiorina.

(Photo of McMahon: Jessica Hill/AP)