An increasing number of independents in New Jersey are describing themselves as undecided about the Nov. 3 race between Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and former U.S. Attorney, Republican Chris Christie, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll of registered voters conducted Sept. 8-10.
The finding -- 17 percent of unaffiliated voters calling themselves uncertain, up from 12 percent in August -- is within the survey's error margin but "It could be a sign of increasing uncertainty about the challenger and bears watching," wrote Monmouth's Polling Institute's analysts wrote in their explanation of the poll.
The survey's overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points and for the smaller sample of likely voters, it is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Unaffiliated voters are one of the major deciding factors in statewide elections in New Jersey. They make up 46 percent of registered voters, according to statistics from the June 3 primary. Democrats comprise an additional 34 percent of registered voters and Republicans make up 20 percent.
The Monmouth poll also showed that Corzine's support from the Democratic base has grown since July.
Corzine continues to trail the challenger and the incumbent's continued low favorability ratings, tied to the state's poor economic climate, do not bode well for the governor as he heads into the Nov. 3 general election.
Christie leads Corzine 47 percent to 39 percent among likely voters in the Monmouth poll. An additional 5 percent of likely voters indicated a preference for Independent candidate Chris Daggett, a former EPA administrator.
CQ Politics rates the race Leans Republican.
To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.
-- Rachel Kapochunas
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