FDU poll shows competitive presidential race in New Jersey

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both narrowly lead John McCain in New Jersye, according to an FDU poll: Getty Images Photo
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both narrowly lead John McCain in New Jersey, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning.

In head-to-head match-ups, Clinton and Obama both beat McCain by 5 point margins – with Clinton having 48% to McCain’s 43%, and Obama having 47% to McCain’s 42%. Obama appears to draw more from independents, while Clinton has stronger support from the state’s Democratic base.

That differs from a Rasmussen poll released earlier this week that shows John McCain leading both Clinton and Obama, though within the poll's margin of error.

When respondents were given a choice between all three candidates, however, 37% went for McCain, 35% went for Obama and only 18% went for Clinton. But McCain was also the last choice of 43% of voters, whereas Clinton was the last pick of 32% and Obama the least favorite of only 25%.

"New Jersey is reflective of the national race," said FDU professor Dan Cassino. "Clinton is a polarizing figure, getting more support from the Democratic base at the cost of solidifying McCain's support among Republicans."

The poll also showed New Jersey Democrats split on whether the long presidential primary is hurting the primaries, with 51% “somewhat” or “very” worried and 48% “just a little” or “not at all” worried.

Fifty-five percent of Democrats also said that they’d like to see Clinton and Obama run together, although they were split on who they’d like to see on top, with 44% choosing Clinton and 42% choosing Obama.

And while Gov. Corzine tirelessly campaigns around the state and across the country for Clinton, only on in three Democrats know that he’s backing Clinton.

The poll also measured President Bush’s approval rating in New Jersey, which stands at 26%.

The polled surveyed 816 registered voters between the March 24th and 30th, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%. Of the 417 Democrats surveyed, the margin of error is plus or minus 5%.