Lieberman has significant lead in Conn.

HAMDEN, Conn., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A poll released Monday in Connecticut gives Sen. Joseph Lieberman, running as an independent, a healthy lead.

Half of those polled in the three-way race picked Lieberman, the Quinnipiac University Poll found. Ned Lamont, who defeated Lieberman in the Democratic primary, gets 38 percent, while the Republican candidate, Alan Schlesinger, trails with only 8 percent.

Lamont, who attacked Lieberman's support of the Iraq War and President Bush's Middle East policy, has the support of 66 percent of Democratic voters while 27 percent support Lieberman. But 79 percent of likely Republican voters plan to back Lieberman, while only 16 percent support their party's candidate and 3 percent Lamont.

Lieberman also leads among independents.

"It appears that Ned Lamont peaked in August and that Alan Schlesinger was never able to convince his fellow Republicans that he deserved their support," said Douglas Schwartz, the poll's director.

Lieberman says that he will caucus with the Democrats if he is elected and has been promised that he will keep his seniority and committee assignments.