poll

Gov. Jon Corzine leads Christopher Christie 57%-23% in Essex and Hudson counties, with 11% for Christopher Daggett, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

In Bergen, Passaic, Union, Middlesex and Mercer counties, Corzine leads by six percentage points, 46%-40%.  Daggett is getting 11%.

Christie has a sixteen point lead in northwestern New Jersey - Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren counties.  He leads Corzine 46%-30%, but Daggett received 18% in this region - one of his best in the state.

Christie is strongest in Monmouth, Ocean and Atlantic counties, winning the "shore" region 56%-28% -- a margin of 28 points.  Daggett, the former state Environmental Protection Commissioner, is at 12%.

In South Jersey, Corzine has a 44%-33% lead over Christie.  Daggett is getting 18% in this region too.

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Republican Christopher Christie has been losing independent likely voters since the summer.  According to Quinnipiac University, Christie was at 54% among independents on July 14, 55% on August 11, 46% on September 1, 45% on September 30, and 41% today.  Democrat Jon Corzine has steadily gained among independents: 24% in July to 25% in August to 30% on September 1, to 32% on September 30, to 32% today.  Daggett started at 12%, and went to 16% and is now at 20% among independents likely to vote in next month's race for Governor.

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Republican Christopher Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine 41%-40% -- a statistical dead heat - and independent Christopher Daggett is at 14%, according to a poll released this morning by Quinnipiac University.

The race for governor has become tighter in recent weeks; a September 30 Quinnipiac poll had Christie ahead 43%-39% with 12% for Daggett, numbers that were just outside the margin of error.

Corzine's job approval remains upside-down, 39%-56%.  Among independents, his approvals are at 34%-62%.

"It's still a nail-biter. Christopher Christie has never given up the lead, but it's been  getting slimmer and now it's a dead heat," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

While Daggett continues to surge in the polls, the survey indicates that support for him is soft.  Just 39% of his backers say their mind is made up; 80% of Christie voters and 75% of Corzine voters indicate that their support is firm.

The poll shows a substantial shift among independents, with Christie ahead of Corzine 41%-32%, with 20% for Daggett.  Christie led Corzine 46%-30% on September 1 and 45%-32% on September 30.  Daggett has moved from 16% of the independent vote in both polls.

"Historically, third party candidates fade on election day.   Apparently, voters agree," Carroll said.  "Very few of his backers are committed to independent candidate Christopher Daggett and 77 percent of all voters say he has no chance of winning."

Among Democrats, Corzine leads Christie 76%-11%, with 10% for Daggett.  Christie has an 83%-8% lead over Corzine among Republicans, with Daggett getting 7%. 

Corzine's favorables are his best in month, but are still upside-down: 40%-53%.  Christie is at his worst since the start of the campaign, 38%-40% -- also upside-down. 

Daggett remains largely unknown: 73% of likely voters don't know enough about him to form an opinion. 

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Quinnipiac University will release a new poll on the race for Governor on Wednesday morning.  A September 30 poll showed Republican Christopher Christie leading Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine 43%-39% among likely voters, with Independent Christopher Daggett at 12%.

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The race for governor is a statistical dead heat, with Republican Christopher Christie leading Gov. Jon Corzine by one percentage point, 40%-39%, according to a new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a North Carolina-based firm that works primarily for Democrats.  Independent Christopher Daggett is running third with 13%.

A September PPP poll had Christie ahead by nine points.

"Pretty much every poll in the last two weeks has confirmed the new reality of the New Jersey Governor's race: it's a tossup," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "Democrats are getting on the same page with Jon Corzine and Chris Daggett's giving people disgusted with both candidates a place to go. It's going to go right down to the wire."

Corzine's favorables remain upside-down: 37%-55%.  But Christie's unfavorables are also higher than his favorables, 44%-42%.  Daggett is at 30%-24%.

Among independents, Christie leads Corzine 42%-28%, with 19% for Daggett.  Christie was at 48% among independents last month.

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Republican Christopher Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine 43%-40% -- a statistical dead heat - according to a WABC-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA.  Independent Christopher Daggett is at 14%.

According to the pollster, 17% of New Jerseyans who voted for Corzine in 2005 are voting for Christie and 13% are for Daggett.  Christie gets 82% of those who voted for Republican Douglas Forrester four years ago, while 14% go to Daggett and 4% to Corzine.

Christie leads 44%-32% among independents, with 19% going for Daggett.  Among Hispanic voters, Corzine leads 48%-32%.

Christie has a thirteen point lead among men, while Corzine leads by nine points among women voters.  Christie has an eighteen point lead among white voters, while Corzine has a 67% lead among black voters.  The poll has Corzine winning in North Jersey and Christie ahead in Central and South Jersey.

Christie leads among Jets fans, Giants fans and Eagles fans. Corzine leads among Bruce Springsteen fans, even though Christie has been to 120 Springsteen concerts. Read More >

A new Rasmussen Reports poll has Republican challenger Christopher Christie with a three point lead, 47%-44%, over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, with independent Christopher Daggett at 6%.

But 21% of likely voters say they would consider voting for Daggett, and one-third (33%) are either undecided or say they could change their mind before they vote in the November gubernatorial election.

Among these voters, Dagget is the first choice for 27%, Corzine for 24% and Christie for 22%. But, most who prefer Dagget say they could change their mind before actually casting a vote.

Corzine and Christie both have upside-down favorable ratings.  Corzine is at 45%-52%, and Christie is at 46%-50%.  Corzine is at 37% very unfavorable, while Christie is at 23%.  Daggett's favorables are now at 44%-27%, but just 15% of likely voters have strong feelings about him, one way or the other.

The poll marks an improvement for Corzine, who was seven points behind just two weeks ago.  His 44% is the highest percentage he's received in a Rasmussen poll this year.

"It remains difficult to see how the Governor could reach the 50% level of support, but with a three- way race that may not be necessary," Rasmussen wrote.  "At the moment, Christie's voters are a bit more certain to actually show up and vote. However, in New Jersey, Democrats have traditionally displayed a stronger ground game to get-out-the-vote."

Of the 21% of voters say they'd consider pulling the lever for a third party option, Chris Dagget, 13% pick Dagget is their first choice, 5% are currently supporting Christie, and 3% are planning to vote for Corzine.

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A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll has Gov. Jon Corzine with upside-down job approvals among independents, 33%-60%, at 38%-50% among voters who come from a public pension household.  Three out of ten independent voters view neither Corzine nor Republican Christopher Christie as trustworthy, and are essentially tied on having the background and experience to be a good governor.  Christie leads 38%-31% among independents on his ability to understand the concerns of the average New Jerseyan.

Among independents, Corzine has upside-down favorables of 44%-59%, a substantial improvement over the 23%-64% last month.  Christie is at 40%-40%, and was at 34%-38% in September.  Daggett is at 23%-5% among independents, up from 10%-3%. 

In a three-way ballot test, Christie is getting 45% of the independent vote, with 24% for Corzine and 23% for Daggett.

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Gary Steele, a 50-year-old tax attorney and former hockey coach from Kinnelon, has never run for office before.  He has no apparent political base, practically no money, and has attracted little attention since he announced his candidacy for Governor as an independent four months ago.  But he's polling at 12% statewide against Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Christopher Christie in a poll of likely voters conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Against Steele, Corzine and Christie, the former U.S. Attorney, are tied at 38%.

FDU's decision to include an obscure independent candidate in their poll offers an interesting contrast to another independent candidate, Christopher Daggett.  Daggett, a former state Environmental Protection Commissioner, has raised enough money to qualify for public financing - that means he'll have more than $1.2 million to spend on his campaign, and gets to participate in gubernatorial debates with Christie and Corzine.  The FDU poll has Daggett at 17%, with 38% for Corzine and 37% for Christie. 

Daggett gets 4% from likely voters who picked him without his name being mentioned.  In that survey, Corzine leads 44%-43%. 

That means that despite his advantage of money and exposure, Daggett is running just 5% better than Steele among likely voters. 

Daggett has favorables of 16%-17%.  His name ID is at 50%, although more than half the people who have heard of him (27%) say they don't know enough about him to form an opinion.  Steele has statewide name ID of 15%, with favorables of 2% and unfavorable of 2%.  According to his poll numbers, Steele is about as well known statewide as State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, the two major party candidates for Lt. Governor.

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Republican Christopher Christie has a four-point lead, 46%-42%, among likely voters over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, according to a new poll conducted by Research 2000 for Daily Kos, a progressive political website.  Independent Christopher Daggett is at 7%.

The poll has Corzine's favorables upside-down at 37%-53%, Christie at 47%-36%, and Daggett at 26%-12%.  Corzine's favorables are up five points from Daily Kos' August survey, while Christie is down 4%.  Christie led 44%-35% in the August poll, which did not include Daggett.

According to the Daily Kos analysis, "of the five percent who are undecided, the vast majority are voters of color. 

"While just one percent of white voters are undecided (and they break for Christie at a 55-35 clip, 25 percent of African Americans, 12 percent of Hispanics, and 13 percent of ‘other' remain undecided. All three of those categories are solid Corzine demographics," Daily Kos wrote. "The governor leads black voters 71-4, leads Hispanic voters 56-31, and leads "other" 57-31. If Corzine can turn them out at these percentages, the bulk of that five percent undecided would slot into his column."

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