Strategic Vision: Obama up by 4

Yet another poll shows John McCain closing in on Barack Obama in The Garden State.

A Strategic Vision poll of 800 likely voters released today shows the Barack Obama/Joe Biden presidential ticket leading John McCain/Sarah Palin by a margin of 47%-43%.  

Today's poll comes on top of several recent polls that show McCain closing in on Obama, though September polls historically show Republicans closer in New Jersey.

The poll also shows Gov. Corzine with an anemic 38% approval rating, versus 53% who disapprove of his job performance. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, meanwhile, has a 48% approval rating, while 36% disapprove of him job performance.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg leads challenger Dick Zimmer by seven points in the U.S. Senate race. Lautenberg’s approval rating is 45%, while 38% of voters disapprove.

Every presidential and vice-presidential candidate has a favorable rating among New Jersey voters, though voters differ on how they feel each candidate will handle important issues.

Fourty-nine percent of voters trust Obama to handle the economy over the 40% who trust John McCain more on the issue. But McCain has an edge on the Iraq War, with 47% of New Jerseyans trusting him on the issue over the 43% who prefer Obama.

President Bush’s approval rating remains at rock bottom, at 20%, while an even lower percentage – 18% -- like the way he’s handling the economy. The congressional approval rating is even lower, however, at 14%.

The poll was conducted from September 14-16th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.