Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is running behind or even with each of five of his possible Republican opponents, including political newcomers who have not held elective office, according to a Quinnipiac poll taken Nov. 3-8.The poll showed Dodd trailing former Rep. Rob Simmons (R), 36 percent to 49 percent, and behind former U.S. ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, 40 percent to 47 percent. Dodd was statistically tied with three of the Republicans seeking to take him on in 2010: former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon (41 percent to 43 percent), state Sen. Sam Caligiuri (42 percent to 42 percent) and businessman Peter Schiff (42 percent to 41 percent).Both Foley and McMahon have spent money to air TV ads in the race. The new survey also showed Dodd is in serious trouble with his constituents. Forty-nine percent of those polled rated him unfavorably, while 42 percent rated him favorably. His job approval rating also is under water. Of those surveyed, 40 percent approved and 54 percent disapproved of the job he has done as a Senator.Dodd’s job approval has lagged behind his disapproval ratings for more than a year, and polls since last spring have shown more people rating him unfavorably than favorably.“After inching up in the polls for months, Sen. Christopher Dodd is sliding back down again on job approval. He continues to struggle with independent voters as 60 percent disapprove of the way he is handling his job,— Quinnipiac University poll Director Douglas Schwartz said. “President Barack Obama is still popular with independents, but voters say that his support of Dodd won’t affect their Senate vote.—Colleen Flanagan, communications director for the Connecticut Democratic Party, downplayed the significance of the poll’s results.“We’ll see lots of polls over the course of this campaign, some accurate, and some not. In truth, we have a hard time believing Chris Dodd has done anything but strengthen his political position based on his well-publicized and heroic work on health care reform, tightening our country’s financial regulations and protecting consumers — coverage that contrasts starkly with the Jerry Springer-like atmosphere of the Republican Senate primary,— Flanagan said. “We’re not taking this poll particularly seriously, and Chris Dodd will continue to do his job every single day on behalf of the people he was elected to represent.—The survey of 1,236 registered voters in Connecticut had a margin of error of 2.8 points.