WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont are in a statistical tie, according to two independent polls released Tuesday.

American Research Group and the Rasmussen Report found likely voters in Connecticut evenly divided between the two candidates with just over two months remaining before the Nov. 7 general election.

The American Research Group poll shows Lieberman with a 44-42 lead over Lamont among likely voters. Republican candidate Alan Schlesinger trailed at 3 percent, with 11 percent of voters undecided.

The margin of error for the total sample of 790 likely voters is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Dick Bennett, president of the polling company in New Hampshire, said the survey results bode well for Lamont.

"We are seeing anger among independent and unaffiliated voters. All around the country there is a strong anti-incumbency movement," he said. "The same trend is seen in Connecticut and that bodes pretty well for Lamont."

Overall, a higher percentage of likely voters have an unfavorable opinion of Lieberman than they do of Lamont — 41 to 34 percent.

Moreover, almost all Connecticut voters have an opinion — good or bad — about Lieberman. Almost all Democrats and Republicans have formed an opinion about Lamont as well, but 28 percent of unaffiliated voters are undecided, according to Bennett.

"It is the unaffiliated voters who will decide who is going to win,"

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he said. "Our poll shows they know Lamont, but are less apt to have any opinion of him. As they get to know him, the question is will they support him."

Bennett said much of that depends on who gets to define him — his campaign or his opponents.

The Rasmussen poll, also released Tuesday, shows Lieberman with a 45-43 lead over Lamont. Schlesinger trailed with 6 percent among the sample of 500 likely voters.

Both polls showed a much tighter race than the Quinnipiac University Poll found last week. In that survey, Lieberman held a 12-point lead over Lamont, who won the Democratic primary two weeks ago by a 4-point margin. Lieberman is running as a third-party candidate in the general election.

Lieberman and Lamont campaign officials were buoyed by the latest poll results, even as they feigned disinterest.

"Undecided voters sure look like they are headed in our direction," said Dan Gerstein, a spokesman for Lieberman's campaign.

Tom Swan, the campaign manager for Lamont, said they are "very confident" that unaffiliated voters will support the Democratic nominee.

"Our sense is that they are as hungry for change as Democratic primary voters were in August," he said.

"We don't need a poll to believe that Ned's message of change will resonate with people who are voting in November."