Monmouth

Quinnipiac: Obama 48%, McCain 45%: Getty Images Photo
The contest between Barack Obama and John McCain in New Jersey is too close to call, with a new Quinnipiac University poll showing the battle for the state's fifteen electoral votes at 48%-45% among likely voters.  Obama led McCain by ten percentage points, 51%-41% in an August Quinnipiac poll.

This is the fourth independent poll within the last week to show New Jersey as an emerging battleground state in the presidential campaign.  A Monmouth University/New Jersey poll released this morning shows Obama leading by 8 points, and a Marist College poll released Friday night had identical numbers to Quinnipiac, 48%-45%. A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll from last week had Obama up by six points.

“The McCain-Palin ticket has narrowed the gap dramatically, but it will take more than this post convention bounce for the Republicans to win in true blue New Jersey.  The upcoming debates probably will provide a clue to whether Sen. McCain can build on his current momentum, or whether the tide will turn back to the Democrats,” said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 

Patrick Murray, the Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, has an interesting post on summer polling in U.S. Senate races that is a must read for campaign watchers.

Incumbent Republican Freeholder Robert Clifton's partner in fundraising committee will be sentenced on felony charges Tuesday. Clifton and his partner used the fundraising committee to take money those tied to “Operation Bid Rig.” Their contributors included principals in a company that laundered $350,000 in cash.

Kim Guadagno, a Monmouth Beach Commissioner and former federal prosecutor, will remain a candidate for the GOP State Assembly nomination in the eleventh district and not enter the race for Monmouth County Sheriff.  Guadagno had been mentioned as a possible Sheriff candidate since Joseph Oxley unexpectedly announced his retirement earlier this month.