GALLOWAY, N.J. — Republican challenger Bob Hugin leads Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Bob Menendez in Southern New Jersey’s 2nd District by 10-points, 46% to 36%, according to the latest Stockton University survey.
Menendez’s unfavorable rating is at 56%.
“This looks like bad news for Senator Menendez and good news for Bob Hugin, but keep in mind that the 2nd District is more rural and more moderate than most of New Jersey,” opined Michael W. Klein, the interim executive director of Stockton’s Hughes Center, referring to the state’s southernmost, sprawling district taking in multiple counties including Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties as well as portions of Gloucester, Camden and Burlington counties, too.
Trump carried NJ-02, a district with a substantial Hispanic population, by a comparatively narrower 50.6 – 46.0% margin in 2016 while losing the state writ-large by about 13-points.
Today’s released poll results were derived using a “likely” voter model with a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.
It’s just the latest measure of a tight contest between the GOP nominee and Menendez, the ethically-tarnished Hudson County politician who escaped jail last year due only to a mistrial but who still owes $1 million in repayments for improperly-received gifts.
In 2012? Bob Menendez finished ahead of then-state Senator Joe Kyrillos by 14-points in CD2. A Hugin 10-point win there wouldt represent a 24-point swing in the GOP’s favor.
Pre-Labor Day state-wide polling has shown a single-digit race with Menendez leading, albeit narrowly.
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