Monmouth University

Gov.  Jon Corzine has a 43%-40% approval rating and leads Republican Christopher Christie 36%-32%, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released this morning.  Corzine leads three other potential Republican candidates: Steve Lonegan 45%-29%, Rick Merkt 41%-27%, and Brian Levine 43%-27%.

More than six out of ten New Jersey voters (61%) say that Corzine should release his personal e-mails with Carla Katz just to “clear the air,” while just 29% believe he should keep them private.  35% of voters say they are less likely to vote for Christie because he served in George W. Bush’s administration, while 14% say more likely.  It makes no difference to half the voters.

Marist College released a poll Friday evening that U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg has a narrow seven point, 48%-41%, lead among likely voters over Republican Dick Zimmer.  Among all voters, Lautenberg is ahead 47%-37%.  Recent independent polls has Lautenberg way out in front in his bid for a fifth term: he was up 22 points in a Quinnipiac poll, and ahead 16 points in a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.

The same poll has Barack Obama leading John McCain 56%-39% in New Jersey among likely voters (53%-36% among all voters).

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, with presidential candidate Barack Obama, has a huge lead in his bid for a 5th term

A new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll shows incumbent Frank Lautenberg with a 16 point lead over Dick Zimmer in the race for U.S. Senate -- 52%-36% among likely voters.  A Quinnipiac University poll released this week has Lautenberg ahead by 22 points.  Zimmer, a former Republican Congressman, remains unknown to 56% of voters.

“With just two weeks to go, the incumbent’s stealth campaign appears to be succeeding. Of course, it certainly helps that his challenger has yet to introduce himself to most of the state’s voters,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.  “Given the lack of visible campaign activity, Lautenberg seems to be coasting along on Obama’s coattails.”

Lautenberg has a 48%-28% job approval rating, up from 45%-33% in July.  He has a 45%-24% favorable rating.  Zimmer has a 28%-16% favorable rating.  

A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll says voters aren't entirely familiar with Jon Corzine's service as head of one of Wall Street's largest and most successful investment banking firms.  Just 55% know Corzine has Wall Street experience (33% specifically mention Goldman Sachs or say he headed a firm), 22% say they're aware he worked on Wall Street but are unaware of any specifics, and 18% said the Governor had no Wall Street experience.   More than one-quarter of the state's voters (27%) say they don't know if he did or didn't.

Nearly four out of ten New Jersey voters don't know about Gov. Jon Corzine's economic stimulus package, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.  Voters narrowly approve, 44%-37%, a financial rescue plan approved by Congress and signed by the President earlier this month.

Of the voters who have heard about Corzine's proposals, 38% say it would make things better for New Jersey families, while 22% think it would make things worse.  More than a quarter of the voters (27%) say it will make no difference.

“The federal government’s plan hasn’t quelled uncertainty among most New Jersey voters and it’s not yet clear whether Governor Corzine’s proposal for state action will do much better,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Two independent polls released today on the race for United States Senator offer conflicting data on the question of Frank Lautenberg's ability, at age 84, to serve another six-year term: more than half the voters polled by Quinnipiac University say yes, while less more than two-thirds of Monmouth University/Gannett poll voters disagree.  Both polls have Lautenberg leading Republican Dick Zimmer by about the same margin.  Patrick Murray, who runs the Monmouth/Gannett poll, offers an explanation in his blog, which is worth the read.

Just 6% of New Jersey voters are closely following the race for U.S. Senate between Frank Lautenberg and Dick Zimmer: Getty Images Photo
A new  Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll has U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg leading GOP challenger Dick Zimmer 46%-36% -- the latest in a series of polls that show the four-term Democrat with a double digit lead.  The poll shows that just 45% of voters are showing interest in the Senate race, and just 6% are following it closely.  83% of New Jersey voters have a lot of interest in the race for President.

Barack Obama leads John McCain by 8 points in a new Monmouth University/Gannett poll
Barack Obama leads John McCain in New Jersey by eight percentage points, 49%-41%, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today.  

“McCain has made some gains in New Jersey, which should not really be a surprise to anyone who has followed election polling in this state,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.  “Republican candidates often see some positive movement in September polling, but have had problems maintaining that momentum.  Only once in the past ten years – the 2000 U.S. Senate race – has the Republican candidate continued to narrow the gap through election day.  We’ll have to wait and see if this is really a trend.”

Incumbent Frank Lautenberg has an eight point lead over Republican Dick Zimmer, 45%-37%, among likely voters in his bid for re-election to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released this morning.

“While Lautenberg leads, many voters cannot commit to either candidate. This is usually bad news for the incumbent. However, Republicans are not showing their typical early support for the GOP nominee,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “Couple this with the high number of voters entertaining a third party vote, and it’s clear that Dick Zimmer still has work to do with his own base before he can start courting independent voters.”

We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the results of the Quinnipiac poll that measures Gov. Corzine’s approval rating and the Senate race between Frank Lautenberg and Dick Zimmer.

But state Senator/Essex County Republican Chairman Kevin O’Toole predicts that the poll on the Senate race will be close.

“Lautenberg has not been loved by the electorate. Look at his number. He has a 54% or 55% (approval) on his best day,” said O’Toole. “I think his best days are behind him.”