NEW POLL: Kyrillos Closing on Menendez? And Christie’s VP Chances Improve…

Plenty of interesting results from today’s latest Quinnipiac survey, Save Jerseyans:

New Jersey voters approve 45 – 31 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is doing and say 43 – 34 percent that he deserves reelection.

Menendez leads his little-known Republican challenger, State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, 44 – 35 percent, with support of 79 – 5 percent among Democrats and a slight 38 – 34 percent edge among independent voters. Republicans back Kyrillos 78 – 8 percent.

By a 35 – 27 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of Menendez, with 37 percent who don’t know enough about him to form an opinion.

For Kyrillos, 79 percent don’t know enough about him to form an opinion.

Fairleigh Dickinson had Menendez up 10-points about one month ago. Quinnipiac pegged the race at 49%-34%, a 15-point gap, just two months ago.

Is this evidence of Senator Kyrillos “closing” on his opponent?

Maybe. But keep in mind that 79% of New Jerseyans still know nothing about him let alone pick him out a line-up (or a November ballot). Name recognition continues to be his greatest challenge, and not much of anything in terms of media coverage, paid or earned, has occured to cure this deficit over the last few months. Something else must be going on.

The answer may lie elsewhere in the Q poll:

President Barack Obama leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 49 – 40 percent in the New Jersey presidential race, a lead that shrinks to 49 – 42 percent if Gov. Christopher Christie runs as Romney’s vice presidential pick, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. 

There is a large gender gap with or without Gov. Christie on the ticket.  Men would vote for a Romney-Christie ticket 50 – 42 percent, while women would vote for President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden 55 – 35 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.  Independent voters split 42 – 42 percent.

McCain lost New Jersey by approximately 15% in 2008. Even a 9-point Garden State loss for Romney in November would be a huge improvement for everyone down-ballot, Kyrillos included. How sad is that?

Less sad for Chris Christie fans? Our Governor’s popularity with the so-called fairer sex is something we observed in a Kean University poll last month and it’s been reconfirmed in this latest survey. What a stud! I guess women really still do love a tough guy.

And since we know he’s definitely on Mitt Romney’s short list of potential vice presidential candidates, don’t be surprised if this poll doesn’t turn a few heads at Romney HQ as they search for someone who can help close the gender gap in that race.

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