GOP poll: District 2 Senate race a dead heat

An internal campaign poll obtained by PoliticsNJ.com shows the second district state Senate race in a statistical dead heat, with Republicans leading in the contest for two Assembly seats.

The poll, which was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, shows 41.7% of voters either voting for Democrat Jim Whelan or leaning towards him, while 41.3% picked Republican James “Sonny” McCullough.

In the Assembly contest, with respondents picking a combination of their first and second choices, Republican John Amodeo has a commanding lead over the pack, with 36%. The next preference was for Vince Polistana, with 28.7%, followed by Joe Wilkins with 27% and Blondell Spellman with 26.3%.

McCullough and Amodeo confirmed that the poll was from their campaign.

“It actually surprised me, because about a month and a half ago they had me ten points down, so that’s a pretty nice game,” said McCullough. “We’ve been doing a grassroots campaign and I think it’s paying off.”

John Amodeo said that he would not let his lead get to his head.

“I’m excited, but it’s no excuse to lay down. We’re just going to continue in the vein where we are right now,” said Amodeo.

Whelan’s campaign, however, doubted the accuracy of the poll. According to Whelan spokesman Raiyan Syed, their own polling tells a different story.

“We’re confident in what our polling is showing -- that we’re running strong and running ahead. It’s no wonder the Republicans have such a long track record of losing elections in New Jersey every single year,” said Syed. “It appears another one of their polls is straight out of story-book land.”