Updated on July 11, 2006:
Connecticut U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman filed a petition on Monday that will allow him to run as an Independent in November if he ends up losing the Democratic Primary to challenger Ned Lamont in August.

Last month we reported that Lieberman might benefit from running as an Independent in November anyhow. A June 12 Rasmussen Reports survey of the Primary Election showed Lieberman leading challenger Ned Lamont by just six percentage points, 46% to 40%.

These results should be viewed as a clear sign that Lamont is gaining traction. Our last survey found Lamont at the 31% level of support (that itself was a stunning figure at the time).

Still, some caution is in order. The sample is very small (218) meaning the margin of sampling error is very large (nearly 7 percentage points). Additionally, determining Likely Voters for a Primary is one of the most challenging tasks in the polling business. It is worth noting that the most likely of our Likely Voters were a bit more inclined to support Lamont than the overall sample.

In the General Election, Lieberman wins handily as either a Democrat or an Independent.