By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
We have a new status quo poll from the people at Fairleigh Dickinson University this morning, Save Jerseyans:
In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Cory Booker commands a solid lead over Republican Steve Lonegan. Fifty percent of registered voters prefer the Newark Mayor as compared to 22 percent who support the former mayor of Bogota.
As for the gubernatorial race, Governor Christie maintains a comfortable lead over his opponent, Democrat Barbara Buono. Half (50%) of all registered voters favor Christie as compared to 26 percent who favor Buono. Christie has seen his support decline seven points from when the same question was asked in June (57% to 50%). Over that time, Buono’s support has been virtually unchanged (27%).
Some would say that’s not all bad news for the challengers. “Booker and Christie go into the fall with numbers that can only make them smile,” opined Krista Jenkins, the director of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind Poll. “The hopeful sign for their opponents is the double digit numbers of people who remain ‘unsure’ about whom they intend to support in either election. For many, their preferences have not yet hardened.”
That may be true, Save Jerseyans, but it’s unclear what either challenger is doing that’s capable of winning over those undecideds. There’s also ample historical precedent for undecideds to sit home or break proportionately; the 2012 Election smashed the myth, once and for all, that the challenger has a claim on late-undecideds. Click here to read the full results and data tables.
