An Opening in Connecticut

Quinnipiac has a new poll of the Connecticut Senate race up, and it has some good news for Republicans: Linda McMahon lags behind Democratic nominee Richard Blumenthal by only 6 points, 45-51. Blumenthal's lead has been shrinking over the past few months.

The numbers show an opportunity for McMahon:

Blumenthal leads 87 - 10 percent among Democrats and gets 47 percent of independent voters to McMahon's 46 percent. McMahon leads 91 - 9 percent among Republicans. Women back Blumenthal 56 - 41 percent, while men split 47 - 48 percent.

Among those backing McMahon, 42 percent say their vote is mainly against Blumenthal, while 53 percent say they mainly are pro-McMahon. Blumenthal backers are 22 percent anti- McMahon and 73 percent pro-Blumenthal.

If McMahon can emphasize independents' alienation from the Obama administration, she could potentially peel off enough to win in Connecticut. McMahon has plenty of money to spend on this race, and you can be sure she'll keep spending it if the race looks this close.