Updated – 1:20 p.m.
There’s still under four months left to go, Save Jerseyans, but Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno continues to run far behind her Democrat opponent Phil Murphy (D-Goldman Sachs) is public polling is accurate.
Monmouth University’s released results found 53% supporting Murphy and 26% lining up behind Guadagno with 6% going independent and 14% undecided. That’s a 27-point gap.
“Party labels are the primary driver behind this early reading of the race since very few voters really know much about either candidate. It is not clear whether Guadagno’s fortunes will improve as voters learn more about her current role as lieutenant governor considering how unpopular Chris Christie is right now. At the same time, something unfavorable could come out about Murphy, but the underlying partisan fundamentals of the state are working against the Republican right now,” opined Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Notably, this is a “registered” voter poll. What’s more, 61% don’t know enough about Guadagno to form an opinion (the same goes for Murphy – 59%).
“These results represent the current views of all registered voters at a very early stage of the campaign. Most of the candidates’ support is fairly soft at this point and turnout will be significantly smaller than the full population of registered voters polled here, so anything could happen,” added Murray.
The Guadagno camp believes time will heal all wounds and bridge the preexisting gaps for its candidates.
“After spending $20 million to buy the Democrat nomination, Phil Murphy is clearly weak, unknown and out-of-touch with New Jersey families. As voters learn more about Phil Murphy’s plans to raise taxes on everyone and his background as a Goldman Sachs millionaire compared to Kim Guadagno’s pledge to lower property taxes in her first term and her background as a working mom, they will realize Phil Murphy is a choice New Jersey can’t afford,” said Ricky Diaz, the official Guadagno spokesman.
Still, some of the signs are ominous. Murphy pulls much stronger from his party’s Democrats (87%) than Guadagno performs among Republicans (69%).
Independents skew Murphy: 41% for the Democrat and 28% for Guadagno.
Click here for the full polling report.
The only other recent public poll – Quinnipiac in early June – reported a 29-point Murphy lead.
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