Linda Stender for Congress

NEW POLL SHOWS Momentum for Stender
Campaign Poised for Victory on Election Day

Scotch Plains, NJ -- Linda Stender, candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District pointed to a poll today showing her with the momentum leading into Election Day. A new independent poll taken from Oct. 24-26 shows Mike Ferguson and challenger Linda Stender in a statistical tie. The poll showed the two candidates at 46-43, respectively. The poll taken of 1,013 likely voters has an error margin of 3.07 percent.

The poll shows that Mike Ferguson continues to suffer from an anti-GOP national political environment that has produced a growing ballot advantage for Democrats. "This new poll again shows that Mike Ferguson has not delivered for the people of the 7th district," said Ed Oatman, campaign manager for Linda Stender. "He has had six years to solidify his seat, and due to his failure on issues like Iraq, stem cell and choice, polls show his support is again waning. It is clear the time has come for a new direction in Congress and Linda Stender represents that change."

The poll was conducted by RT Strategies and Constituent Dynamics and indicates the following:

* Linda Stender and Mike Ferguson are in a statistical tie, with both of the candidate's support being within the margin of error.
* Mike Ferguson remains under 50% and only has a three-point lead over Linda Stender (43% Stender, 46% Ferguson). This is a ten-point gain for Stender since May 2006 (33% Stender, 46% Ferguson) and a 25-point gain for her since September 2005 (18% Stender, 46% Ferguson).
* The district remains highly independent, with more people claiming themselves as an independent than a democrat. (37% Republican, 33% Independent, 31% Democrat)
* The national political environment continues to hurt Ferguson. A majority (53%) of voters disapprove of Bush's policies, while only 36% support the President.

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