September 15, 2008 - 10:55pm
News

Obama leads McCain by 8 points in new Monmouth University/Gannett poll

Barack Obama leads John McCain in New Jersey by eight percentage points, 49%-41%, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today.  

“McCain has made some gains in New Jersey, which should not really be a surprise to anyone who has followed election polling in this state,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.  “Republican candidates often see some positive movement in September polling, but have had problems maintaining that momentum.  Only once in the past ten years – the 2000 U.S. Senate race – has the Republican candidate continued to narrow the gap through election day.  We’ll have to wait and see if this is really a trend.”

Obama has a 60%-23% favorable rating, while McCain is at 49%-34%.

Three other independent polls released over the last week show the contest for New Jersey's fifteen electoral votes tightening.  In a July Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll, Obama had a fourteen point lead.

EDITOR can be reached via email at editor@politicsnj.com.

Comments

I believe it


New Jerseyans are profoundly disappointed with the Republican party in the White House.  In the long run, McCain's moderate gains will plateau and won't be enough--November will show salient support for Obama in the Garden State.  Plainly, McCain is viewed as more-of-the-same, while Obama is perceived as a welcomed alternative.

 

What the heck was with that other poll titled "New poll shows Obama, McCain in a dead heat"?   Did anyone really believe that would hold?  If true, even for a moment, it was probably the ephemeral, pop-star effect of the hottest governor from the coldest state.

 

Considering national offices, New Jersey is blue.

09/16/08 12:37 am

More Democrats were polled here?


Probably, just like the Record poll.

09/16/08 8:24 am

I was called.


The survey must have had well over 100 questions. The caller could hardly speak English and after the political part, which included absolutely NO open-endeds, there were a whole slew of questions asking me what I thought of the programs at Monmouth University and Thomas Edison State College. There's no way anyone except myself stayed on the phone for the entire survey.

The wording of the survey was clearly designed by a committee that wanted every possible question they could think up added to the poll. The screening process in the beginning took so long that they probably lost a lot of valid surveys right at the get-go.

Plus it was a random digit dial survey of "all adults", not a stratified poll of actual registered voters. This explains the Democratic lean in this survey.

Anyone who thinks Obama is up by 8 must be teaching politics rather than doing it.

09/16/08 9:58 am