Is Linda McMahon on her way to buying a Connecticut Senate seat?

By Richard K. Barry

Well, this is interesting. Former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon has a small lead in Connecticut to replace Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID), which is, as the National Journal points out, a "stark reversal from her losing Senate bid in 2010":

The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, shows McMahon, the GOP's Senate nominee for the second time in as many election cycles, leading Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., 49 percent to 46 percent. Four percent of likely voters are undecided. 

Apart from the ballot test, McMahon's personal ratings continue to show steady improvement in Quinnipiac's polling. Now, 47 percent of likely voters have a favorable opinion of her, compared to just 35 percent who view her unfavorably. Last September, her favorability rating among registered voters was upside-down. 

McMahon is also being propelled by the surprising strength of the GOP standard-bearer, Mitt Romney, at the top of the ticket. President Obama leads Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, 52 percent to 45 percent. Likely voters are split on Obama's job performance -- 49 percent approve, and 48 percent disapprove -- far worse than the 54-percent approval rating Obama recorded among 2010 voters, according to exit polls.

Oh, and let's not forget that McMahon has the ability to spend million and millions of dollars of her own money on her election, which can go a long way to improve anyone's likability numbers (well, not anyone).

This should remind us that nothing is for certain in November, especially with the kind of money that will be spent.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)