HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A statewide poll shows Republican Tom Foley leading Gov. Dannel P. Malloy by six percentage points as voters give the challenger high marks on the key issues of jobs and the economy and government spending.

The Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning gives the Greenwich businessman 46 percent to Malloy's 40 percent.

Foley leads the governor, who's seeking a second term, in the critical group of independent voters, 48 percent to 35 percent.

A gender gap gives Malloy a 45 percent-to-38 percent lead among women while Foley wins support from men, 54 percent to 35 percent.

Poll Director Douglas Schwartz says Malloy is ``certainly within striking distance'' eight weeks before Election Day.

The poll, conducted Sept. 3-8, surveyed 1,304 likely voters with a sampling error of 2.7 percentage points.