# 2012 United States Senate election in Connecticut

Elections in Connecticut :
Federal government
U.S President
1788–89
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
2028
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024
2028
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
2028
U.S. Senate
1788
1790
1791
1791 (sp)
1793
1793 (sp)
1796
1796 (sp)
1797
1801
1803
1807
1807 (sp)
1809
1810 (sp)
1812
1813
1813 (sp)
1814
1818
1819
1821
1824 (sp)
1825 (sp)
1826
1831
1832
1835 (sp)
1837
1840 (sp)
1842
1848 (sp)
1852 (sp)
1854
1854 (sp)
1856
1860
1863
1866
1872
1876 (sp)
1879
1881
1885
1887
1891
1893
1897
1899
1903
1905
1905 (sp)
1909
1911
1914
1916
1920
1922
1924 (sp)
1926
1928
1932
1934
1938
1940
1944
1946
1946 (sp)
1950
1950 (sp)
1952
1952 (sp)
1956
1958
1962
1964
1968
1970
1974
1976
1980
1982
1986
1988
1992
1994
1998
2000
2004
2006
2010
2012
2016
2018
2022
2024
2028
2030
U.S. House
1788
1790
1790 (sp)
1791 (sp)
1792
1793 (sp)
1794
1795 (sp)
1796
1796 (sp)
1797 (sp)
1798
1798 (sp)
1799 (sp)
1800 (sp)
1800
1801 (sp)
1802
1803 (sp)
1804
1805 (sp)
1806
1806 (sp)
1808
1810
1812
1814
1816
1817 (sp)
1818
1818 (sp)
1821
1823
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1840
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1865
1867
1869
1871
1873
1875
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1917 (4th sp)
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1987 (4th sp)
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
State government
State elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
2024
2026
Governor
1776
1777
1778
1779
1780
1781
1782
1783
1784
1785
1786
1787
1788
1789
1790
1791
1792
1793
1794
1795
1796
1797
1798
1799
1800
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
Apr
Nov
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Attorney General
1898
1902
1906
1910
1914
1918
1922
1926
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Secretary of the State
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
State Treasurer
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
State Comptroller
2018
2022
2026
State Senate
1920
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2015
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
State House
2010
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
Bridgeport
Mayor
2015
2019
2023-24
2027 :
Hartford
Mayor
1935
1937
1939
1941
1943
1979
1981
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
New Haven
Mayor
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023 :
Stamford
Mayor
2017
2021
2025 :
Waterbury
Mayoral Elections
2019 :
vte :
The 2012 United States Senate election in Connecticut was held on November 6, 2012, in conjunction with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Primaries to elect Senate candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties were held on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
Incumbent U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent who caucused with the Democratic Party, decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a fifth term. Republican businesswoman Linda McMahon faced Democratic representative Chris Murphy in the general election and lost, marking two defeats in two years. Elected at the age of 39, Chris Murphy would be the youngest senator in the 113th United States Congress.

## Background

In the 2006 election, incumbent Joe Lieberman was defeated in the Democratic primary by businessman Ned Lamont and formed his own party, Connecticut for Lieberman, winning re-election. Lieberman promised to remain in the Senate Democratic Caucus, but had since stood against the Democrats on many significant issues, including his endorsement of Republican 2008 presidential nominee John McCain over Barack Obama. As a result, Lieberman's poll numbers among Democrats dropped significantly.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was reportedly considering a run against Lieberman, but instead ran for and won Connecticut's other Senate seat in 2010 after U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd announced his retirement.
Lieberman had publicly floated the possibility of running as a Democrat, Republican, or an independent. However, on January 19, 2011, he announced that he would not run for another term.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Susan Bysiewicz, former Connecticut Secretary of State
* Chris Murphy, U.S. Representative
* Sylvester Salcedo, attorney
* Lee Whitnum, anti-AIPAC activist and software engineer

#### Withdrawn

* Matthew Oakes, activist (endorsed Murphy)
* William Tong, State Representative (running for re-election; endorsed Murphy)

### Debates

The first Democratic debate took place on February 23, 2012, with Murphy, Bysiewicz, and Tong participating. The first televised debate was held on April 5, with Murphy, Bysiewicz, Tong, Oakes, and Whitnum participating. A debate was held at UConn on April 9, with the five candidates participating. A debate sponsored by WFSB took place on April 15, with all five taking part.

### Convention

Delegates of the Connecticut Democratic Party endorsed Chris Murphy at their state party convention held on May 12. Murphy was the choice of 1,378 delegates (76 percent), while Susan Bysiewicz won 444 delegates (24 percent), enough to qualify for the August 14 primary. Matthew Oakes received the support of one delegate from Hartford. Lee Whitnum's name was not placed in nomination.

### Endorsements

Politicians
* Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States
* George Jepsen, Connecticut attorney general
* Kevin Lembo, Connecticut comptroller
* Dan Malloy, Connecticut governor
* Denise Merrill, Connecticut secretary of the state
* Matthew Oakes, disabled American and former U.S. Senate candidate
* Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
* William Tong, state representative and former U.S. Senate candidate
* Nancy Wyman, Connecticut lieutenant governor
Organizations
* AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)
* Connecticut High School Democrats
* NARAL Pro-Choice America
* EMILY's List

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz | Chris Murphy | William Tong | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 400 | ±4.9% | 38% | 40% | — | — | 21% |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 447 | ±4.6% | 26% | 36% | 1% | 2% | 35% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 400 | ±4.9% | 33% | 39% | 8% | — | 19% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 640 | ±3.9% | 25% | 37% | 4% | 5% | 29% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 538 | ±4.2% | 20% | 50% | — | 5% | 24% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 400 | ±4.9% | 32% | 49% | — | — | 18% |

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Chris Murphy | 89,283 | 67.4% |
| | Democratic | Susan Bysiewicz | 43,135 | 32.6% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 132,418 | 100.0% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Brian Hill, attorney
* Peter Lumaj, attorney
* Linda McMahon, businesswoman and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010
* Chris Shays, former U.S. Representative
* Kie Westby, attorney

#### Declined

* John Ratzenberger, actor

### Debates

A debate sponsored by the Norwich Bulletin took place on April 19, 2012, with McMahon, Shays, Lumaj, Hill, and Westby in attendance. The debate was not televised. The first televised debate took place on April 22, 2012, sponsored by WFSB. All five candidates participated.

### Convention

Delegates of the Connecticut Republican Party endorsed Linda McMahon at their state party convention held on May 18. McMahon was the choice of 730 delegates (60 percent), while Chris Shays won 389 delegates (32 percent), enough to qualify for the August 14 primary. Brian K. Hill, Peter Lumaj, and Kie Westby did not meet the 15 percent threshold necessary to automatically qualify for the primary, receiving the support of 62, 22, and 5 delegates, respectively. Hill pursued a post-convention attempt to petition his way onto the primary ballot, but fell short of the 8,319 signatures required and suspended his campaign in June.

### Endorsements

Politicians
* Penny Bacchiochi, Connecticut State Representative from the 52nd district
* Roy Blunt, U.S. Senator (R-MO), and former Congressman
* Sam Caligiuri, former State Senator, and 2010 nominee for Connecticut's 5th congressional district
* Michael Fedele, former Connecticut lieutenant governor
* Mark Lauretti, Mayor of Shelton, Connecticut
* John McCain, U.S. Senator (R-AZ), and 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee
* John McKinney, minority leader of the Connecticut Senate
* Dick Morris, political author and Fox News commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant and former adviser to President Bill Clinton
* Peter Schiff, economist noted for predicting the housing bubble, and 2010 Senate candidate
* Rob Simmons, former U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
Organizations
* AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)
* League of Conservation Voters
Newspapers
* The Norwich Bulletin's editorial board
Politicians
* Mark Boughton, mayor of Danbury and Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010
Organizations
* GOProud
Politicians
* Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and former 2012 presidential candidate
Organizations
* Republican Liberty Caucus

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jason McCoy | Linda McMahon | Chris Shays | Other | Undecided |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 332 | ±5.4% | — | 50% | 35% | 2% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 400 | ±4.9% | 3% | 60% | 27% | — | 10% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 429 | ±4.7% | — | 51% | 42% | 1% | 6% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 381 | ±5.0% | — | 59% | 30% | 1% | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 400 | ±4.9% | — | 68% | 20% | — | 12% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Linda McMahon | 83,413 | 72.7% |
| | Republican | Chris Shays | 31,305 | 27.3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 114,718 | 100.0% |

## General election
### Candidates

* Linda McMahon (Republican, Independent), businesswoman and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010
* Chris Murphy (Democratic, Working Families), U.S. Representative
* Paul Passarelli (Libertarian)

### Campaign

Susan Bysiewicz was the first to declare herself as a candidate. However, by March 2011 Chris Murphy had raised over $1 million to Bysiewicz's $500,000. Murphy had won election to Connecticut's 5th congressional district, which is considered Republican-leaning, and he promoted himself as the most electable candidate against a Republican challenger. Bysiewicz, the former Secretary of the State of Connecticut, enjoyed high name recognition while a statewide officeholder, and had a formidable face-off with Murphy. William Tong, a state representative, joined the race touting his biography as the son of Chinese immigrants working at a Chinese restaurant. In January East Hartford resident Matthew John Oakes announced his candidacy. Oakes pointed to his real-life experience being a disabled American, victim of crime, and civil rights activist, growing up in the inner city and being a political outsider.
Wide speculation continued on Linda McMahon, who had a widely publicized race for senator in 2010. She lost the election decisively, but had strong finances and a well-established political organization. McMahon met with her former campaign consultant to review her 2010 results, and said she was leaning towards running. She planned to make a decision regarding another run after the start of 2012. Former congressman Chris Shays joined in August 2011, promoting his involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan's military contracting. Shays campaign had also gained traction from a series of independent polls showing him beating or in a dead heat with the top Democratic contenders in the general election, while those same polls showed McMahon losing handily to each of the top Democratic contenders. The Shays campaign quickly capitalized on these polls, arguing for the former Congressman's electability while questioning McMahon's electability due to her loss in an open Senate seat contest in 2010 by a large margin despite spending $50 million of her own money, also citing her high unfavorable numbers among state voters, and the weak fundraising numbers of the McMahon campaign.
In July 2012, Shays declared that he would not support McMahon if she won the primary. He said that he had "never run against an opponent that I have respected less—ever—and there are a lot of candidates I have run against," adding that "I do not believe that Linda McMahon has spent the time, the energy to determine what [being] a senator really means." He also said that during the last debate he had with McMahon, "I thought she was embarrassingly clueless" and that "I think she is a terrible candidate and I think she would make a terrible senator." Although he said he would not support Chris Murphy, he expected him to win the Democratic nomination and the general election.
In September 2012, the records of the McMahons' 1976 bankruptcy and specifics of nearly $1 million unpaid debts from the proceeding were published. In days the candidate and her husband announced the "intention to reimburse all private individual creditors that can be located".

### Debates

* Complete video of debate, October 7, 2012
* Complete video of debate, October 11, 2012
* Complete video of debate, October 16, 2012
* Complete video of debate, October 18, 2012

### Fundraising

| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
| Chris Murphy (D) | $10,543,456 | $10,436,219 | $107,239 | $189,925 |
| Linda McMahon (R) | $50,956,502 | $50,262,442 | $351,464 | $1,250,000 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission |||||

#### Top contributors

| Chris Murphy | Contribution | Linda McMahon | Contribution |
| Moveon.org | $112,864 | Morgan Stanley | $31,050 |
| Yale University | $69,101 | Linda McMahon for Senate | $26,174 |
| League of Conservation Voters | $47,388 | General Electric | $24,250 |
| Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder | $44,916 | Ott International | $15,000 |
| Travelers Companies | $41,000 | Thor Industries | $12,500 |
| Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company | $40,650 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $11,231 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | $36,500 | Ceci Brothers Inc. | $10,000 |
| Comcast Corporation | $36,000 | Invemed Associates | $10,000 |
| Shipman & Goodwin | $35,511 | Midstream Partners | $10,000 |
| Northeast Utilities | $34,789 | Tudor Investment Corporation | $10,000 |
| Source: OpenSecrets ||||

#### Top industries

| Chris Murphy | Contribution | Linda McMahon | Contribution |
| Retired | $1,041,795 | Financial Institutions | $121,717 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $861,258 | Retired | $81,949 |
| Financial Institutions | $580,370 | Misc Business | $55,302 |
| Real Estate | $319,466 | Manufacturing & Distributing | $46,500 |
| Leadership PACs | $302,500 | Misc Finance | $38,050 |
| Insurance Industry | $302,025 | Business Services | $28,932 |
| Health Professionals | $285,150 | Real Estate | $27,000 |
| Democratic/Liberal | $267,018 | Republican/Conservative | $25,630 |
| Universities | $232,951 | Candidate Committees | $24,874 |
| Business Services | $228,550 | Lawyers/Law Firms | $24,372 |
| Source: OpenSecrets ||||

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean D (flip) | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Lean D (flip) | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics | Lean D (flip) | November 5, 2012 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Linda McMahon (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 54% | 38% | — | 9% |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 1,230 | ±2.8% | 49% | 38% | — | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 50% | 43% | — | 6% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 52% | 37% | — | 9% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 1,408 | ±2.6% | 46% | 43% | — | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 50% | 42% | — | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 21, 2012 | 500 | ±4.5% | 46% | 49% | — | 5% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 22–23, 2012 | 881 | ±3.3% | 48% | 44% | — | 8% |
| Quinnipiac | August 22–26, 2012 | 1,472 | ±2.6% | 46% | 49% | — | 4% |
| Univ. of Connecticut/Hartford Courant | September 11–16, 2012 | 517 | ±4.0% | 37% | 33% | 1% | 28% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 24–26, 2012 | 801 | ±3.5% | 48% | 42% | — | 10% |
| Quinnipiac University Poll | September 28 – October 2, 2012 | 1,696 | ±2.5% | 47% | 48% | — | 5% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 7, 2012 | 500 | ±4.5% | 51% | 46% | 2% | 1% |
| Siena Research Institute | October 4–14, 2012 | 552 | ±4.2% | 46% | 44% | — | 8% |
| Univ. of Connecticut/Hartford Courant | October 11–16, 2012 | 574 | ±4% | 44% | 38% | — | 17% |
| Public Policy Polling/LCV | October 15–16, 2012 | 1,015 | ±3.1% | 48% | 44% | — | 8% |
| Mason-Dixon | October 15–17, 2012 | 625 | ±4% | 44% | 44% | — | 12% |
| SurveyUSA | October 19–21, 2012 | 575 | ±4.2% | 47% | 43% | 3% | 4% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 21, 2012 | 500 | ±4.5% | 48% | 47% | 2% | 3% |
| Quinnipiac | October 19–22, 2012 | 1,412 | ±2.6% | 49% | 43% | 1% | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 28, 2012 | 500 | ±4.5% | 51% | 45% | 1% | 3% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 1–2, 2012 | 1,220 | ±2.8% | 52% | 43% | — | 4% |
With Mark Boughton
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Mark Boughton (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 44% | 34% | 22% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Mark Boughton (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 52% | 29% | 19% |
With Susan Bysiewicz
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Linda McMahon (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 50% | 39% | 12% |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 1,230 | ±2.8% | 46% | 38% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 47% | 46% | 7% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 49% | 39% | 9% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 1,408 | ±2.6% | 42% | 46% | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 45% | 42% | 13% |
With Michael Fedele
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Michael Fedele (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 45% | 35% | 20% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Michael Fedele (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 51% | 29% | 20% |
With Scott Frantz
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Scott Frantz (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 45% | 30% | 24% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Scott Frantz (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 51% | 27% | 22% |
With Joe Lieberman
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Lieberman (I) | Chris Murphy (D) | Peter Schiff (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | September 30 – October 2, 2010 | 810 | ±3.4% | 19% | 39% | 25% | 17% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Lieberman (I) | Chris Murphy (D) | Jodi Rell (R) | Undecided |
| Research 2000 | January 11–13, 2010 | 600 | ±4.0% | 23% | 25% | 47% | 2% |
| Research 2000 | January 11–13, 2010 | 810 | ±3.4% | 33% | 47% | — | 20% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 30 – October 2, 2010 | 810 | ±3.4% | 17% | 37% | 29% | 17% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Lieberman (I) | Ned Lamont (D) | Jodi Rell (R) | Undecided |
| Research 2000 | March 23–25, 2008 | 600 | ±4.0% | 25% | 30% | 42% | 2% |
| Research 2000 | September 8–10, 2009 | 600 | ±4.0% | 26% | 26% | 46% | 2% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Lieberman (I) | Ned Lamont (D) | Alan Schlesinger (R) | Undecided |
| Research 2000 | March 31 – April 2, 2008 | 600 | ±4.0% | 37% | 51% | 7% | 5% |
| Research 2000 | June 30 – July 2, 2008 | 600 | ±4.0% | 36% | 51% | 7% | 6% |
| Research 2000 | November 11–13, 2008 | 600 | ±4.0% | 34% | 59% | 3% | 2% |
With Chris Shays
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Chris Shays (R) | Undecided |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 1,230 | ±2.8% | 40% | 42% | 16% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 37% | 48% | 16% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 42% | 43% | 13% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 1,408 | ±2.6% | 40% | 44% | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 40% | 43% | 17% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Chris Shays (R) | Undecided |
| Quinnipiac | September 8–13, 2011 | 1,230 | ±2.8% | 43% | 37% | 17% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 43% | 39% | 18% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 41% | 40% | 17% |
| Quinnipiac | May 29 – June 3, 2012 | 1,408 | ±2.6% | 45% | 37% | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 26–29, 2012 | 771 | ±3.5% | 47% | 38% | 15% |
With Rob Simmons
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Susan Bysiewicz (D) | Rob Simmons (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 42% | 39% | 19% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 41% | 42% | 17% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Murphy (D) | Rob Simmons (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | March 17–20, 2011 | 822 | ±3.4% | 49% | 34% | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 45% | 36% | 20% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | William Tong (D) | Rob Simmons (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 32% | 39% | 29% |
With William Tong
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | William Tong (D) | Linda McMahon (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 38% | 45% | 17% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 39% | 43% | 9% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | William Tong (D) | Chris Shays (R) | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–25, 2011 | 592 | ±4.0% | 27% | 46% | 27% |
| Quinnipiac | March 14–19, 2012 | 1,622 | ±2.4% | 25% | 50% | 21% |

### Results

United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Chris Murphy | 792,983 | 52.45% | +12.72% |
| | Working Families | Chris Murphy | 35,778 | 2.37% | N/A |
| | Total | Chris Murphy | 828,761 | 54.82% | +15.09% |
| | Republican | Linda McMahon | 604,569 | 39.99% | +30.37% |
| | Independent Party | Linda McMahon | 46,520 | 3.08% | N/A |
| | Total | Linda McMahon | 651,089 | 43.07% | +33.45% |
| | Libertarian | Paul Passarelli | 25,045 | 1.66% | N/A |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 6,869 | 0.45% | +0.45% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,511,764 | 100.00% | N/A |
| | Democratic gain from Independent Democrat | Democratic gain from Independent Democrat | Democratic gain from Independent Democrat | Democratic gain from Independent Democrat | Democratic gain from Independent Democrat |

#### Counties that flipped from Independent to Democratic

* Fairfield (largest town: Bridgeport)
* Hartford (largest town: Hartford)
* Middlesex (largest town: Middletown)
* New Haven (largest town: New Haven)
* New London (largest town: Norwich)
* Tolland (largest town: Vernon)
* Windham (largest town: Windham)

#### Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican

* Litchfield (largest city: Torrington)

#### By congressional district

Murphy won all 5 congressional districts.
| District | Murphy | McMahon | Representative |
| 1st | 59.81% | 38.61% | John B. Larson |
| 2nd | 52.74% | 44.92% | Joe Courtney |
| 3rd | 59.66% | 38.65% | Rosa DeLauro |
| 4th | 53.5% | 44.525% | Jim Himes |
| 5th | 50.72% | 47.79% | Elizabeth Esty |