Democrats Barack Obama and Frank Lautenberg have huge leads going into Election Day, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released early this morning.  Obama leads Republican John McCain in New Jersey by 21 points, 55%-34%, amog likely voters.  In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Frank Lautenberg leads Republican Dick Zimmer, a former Congressman, by 19 points, 50%-31%.  

Offering a possible explanation for the increase in no opinion about the two candidates, Patrick Murray, the dirdctor of the Monmouth University Polling Institute said, “It may be that some voters simply realized that the election is next week and they still haven’t heard much, if anything, from their senate candidates.  Even with that, Lautenberg has a commanding lead.  To borrow from an old saying about Frank Sinatra, it’s Obama’s world this year and Frank Lautenberg is lucky to live in it.”

Governor Jon Corzine proposed a state budget last month that can only be described as tough medicine.  However, the latest Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll finds many New Jerseyans asking if the proposed cuts are, in fact, the right prescription.  They agree with some of the cuts, disagree with others, and generally question whether the budget really targets wasteful spending.