Barack Obama has tied his biggest lead ever in Connecticut in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state. The Democrat now leads John McCain 56% to 39%.

In September, Obama led 53% to 41%. His current 17-point margin matches his lead back in June.

The Democrats have carried Connecticut in the last four presidential elections.

Rasmussen Markets data shows that Democrats are currently given a 98.3% chance of winning Connecticut’s seven Electoral College votes. Connecticut is classified as “Likely Democratic” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator.

Obama leads among unaffiliated voters 49% to 42%. The candidates are tied among men, with each receiving 49% support. Obama has a dominating 64% to 30% lead among women in Connecticut.

The Democrat is viewed favorably by 63% of voters and unfavorably by 35%. McCain’s reviews are 53% favorable, 47% unfavorable.

Though both candidates have been criticized for negative campaigning this year, 50% of Connecticut voters say the tone of this year’s election is about the same as past elections. Over a third (37%) thinks it is more negative, while only 12% say it is more positive. Nearly half of voters say it is possible to win an election without criticizing the opponent, while 36% say this is not possible.

Overall, 43% say Obama’s campaign is generally positive, while a larger percentage (48%) say the Republican's campaign has been mostly negative.

Nearly half of voters in Connecticut (48%) disagree with the economic rescue plan recently passed by Congress, while 30% agree with the plan. Democrats are evenly divided on the issue, while Republicans and unaffiliated voters heavily oppose the idea. Still, over a third (36%) say the plan will most likely help the economy, while only 16% say it will hurt. Another 31% think the plan will have no impact on the current crisis.

Most voters (53%) think the best tax policy for the current economy is to lower taxes, while 12% think they should be raised and 26% say they should not change. The majority of Republicans and unaffiliated voters are in favor of lower taxes, while Democrats are divided between lower taxes and leaving them unchanged.

The majority of voters (58%) in Connecticut also think raising taxes on higher income Americans would help the economic situation. A quarter (24%) thinks raising taxes on those who make over $250,000 would have a negative impact on the economy. Over half (54%) think raising the capital gains tax would be a bad idea of the economy, while only 22% say it would help the current situation.

New polling on the presidential race was released this week from the closely-contested states of Virginia North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and Missouri. See an overview of all five state polls and the latest Electoral College projections. A total of 270 Electoral Votes are needed to win the White House (see 50-State Summary).

Recent statewide presidential polls also have been released for Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Demographic crosstabs for all state polling are available for Premium Members. Learn More.

President Bush receives good or excellent ratings from just 20% of Connecticut voters, while 61% give his job performance a poor rating.

Governor M. Jodi Rell earns good or excellent marks from 58% of Connecticut voters. Just nine percent (9%) say the governor is doing a poor job.

State polling data has been released this week from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.