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Hamden (WTNH) – If anyone doubted that Connecticut voters are mad at Senator Chris Dodd, a new Quinnipiac University Public Opinion Poll confirms it. The new poll actually shows Dodd losing a hypothetical match-up to one of the men mentioned as a potential challenger next year.

We’ve seen polls where incumbents were sinking who then came back, but this one actually shows a well known incumbent losing 19 months before the election.

The good news for Dodd is that he hasn’t slipped any lower since the last public opinion poll of his approval rating by Connecticut voters. The bad news is he loses in a hypothetical match-up with a potential candidate who has never held state-wide office.

The Quinnipiac University Poll shows Dodd actually being topped by one percentage point by three-term, 2nd district Republican Congressman Rob Simmons, 43 to 42 percent.

“The numbers for Dodd have to be troubling for him,” said Q.U. pollster Doug Schwartz. “He’s only getting 42 percent of the vote against Rob Simmons in a hypothetical senate match-up in 2010. He’s got to be worried because he’s under 50 percent to someone who’se not well known outside of his district.”

A source tells News Channel 8 that private polling done about the same time for Simmons himself has shown a similar result.

Contacted Tuesday, Simmons said “I’m flattered but not fooled into thinking this is giong to be easy.”

The other candidates mentioned as interested in the race against Dodd are back by double digits, making Simmons clearly the leading candidate for the nomination at this point.

“I think the people of Connecticut have issued a foreclosure notice on Chris Dodd,” said Chris Healy, chairman of Connecticut Republicans. “It’s just a matter of whether Chris Dodd cand bail himself out.”

A spokesman for Dodd issued a statement saying; “These are difficult times for our state and country. Right now, Senator Dodd is focused on doing his job. When the time comes, Senator Dodd will be ready with a strong and vigorous re-election campaign.”

The election is still 19 months away, and a lot can happen in that time. Simmons is one of four potential challengers on the Republican side.

The survey of 1,238 registered voters has a 2.8 percentage-point margin of error.

Poll Details at Quinnipiac.edu