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Rep. Jim O'Rourke, D-Cromwell, left, speaks with Ned Lamont, a candidate for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate, in front of a restaurant in Meriden, Conn., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006. Lamont is running for the nomination against Sen. Joe Lieberman.
HARTFORD — The latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows Ned Lamont will win Tuesday's primary over U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, with most of his support coming from Democratic opposition to the war in Iraq. 

Lamont's new 13-point lead over Lieberman is a big boost since a July 20 poll, which had Lamont in a statistical tie, 51 percent to 47 percent 

over Lieberman. The Q Poll released Thursday has Lamont with a 54-41 percent edge over Lieberman, who lost support among likely Democratic voters even though he brought former President Clinton in for a high-profile rally in Waterbury last week. 

Douglas Schwartz, the poll director, said the telephone canvas of 890 likely Democratic voters finds that 65 percent of Lamont's support is the result of a distaste for the three-term senator from New Haven, not from any particular approval for Lamont as a candidate. 

“The vote for Lamont continues to be an anti-Lieberman vote,” Schwartz told reporters in the Capitol. “About two-thirds of Lamont voters say they're mainly voting against Senator Lieberman. Iraq continues to be the defining issue of this campaign.” 

Lieberman's support of the war is the main reason they will vote for Lamont, 44 percent of the Lamont voters say, while 50 percent say the war is just one of the reasons they will vote for Lamont. 

The poll also found that Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy cut in half last month's

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20-point margin enjoyed by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial primary, which has been thoroughly overshadowed by the Senate race. 

Lamont's projected margin of victory is well outside the 3.3-percent margin of error in the poll of likely party voters canvassed between July 25 and 31. 

In Middletown on Thursday, Lamont, a multimillionaire telecommunications executive, said he heard about the latest poll findings from his wife, Annie, but it's not crucial. 

“What makes a difference is Tuesday and getting out the vote,” Lamont said. 

Lieberman, speaking to reporters at a West Hartford senior center, said Thursday that while the poll findings are not to his liking, he hopes to prove them wrong Tuesday, in a election that has garnered national and even international interest. 

“Look, polls don't vote, voters vote,” Lieberman said. “It's not over until Tuesday night when the polls are closed and I'm asking my voters to come out and vote and show the pollsters this one was wrong.” 

Lieberman said Lamont has turned the race into “a referendum against something,” while Lieberman believes his record should lead to victory. He hopes that the poll galvanizes voters for him. 

“I'm asking people to remember all I've done to fight for and win for Connecticut over 18 years in the Senate and give me the chance to keep fighting for them on the things that really matter to them in the future; their jobs, their health care, their environment, their kids education, Social Security, Medicare,” Lieberman said. 

“The fact is, I'm about more than one issue and the future of the people of Connecticut is about more than one issue.” 

During a news conference Thursday afternoon in the Legislative Office Building, Speaker of the House James A. Amann, D-Milford, said voters should cast their ballots for Lieberman, who has a proven record of service. 

Amann said he would feel more comfortable about Lamont if he were to pursue a more-traditional political career, possibly starting out as a candidate for a seat in the state House of Representatives. 

If Lieberman loses the primary on Tuesday, he said he will run as an independent in November against Lamont and GOP candidate Alan Schlesinger.