Poll Tracker

Christie expanded his lead over Corzine since last month's Rasmussen poll in which Christie led Corzine by 9 percentage points. Christie's new totals may be linked to a temporary bounce from the primary.

Corzine's perceived vulnerability is tied to his low approval ratings. Respondents in the Rasmussen poll gave Corzine a 42 percent approval rating and a 58 percent disapproval rating.

Factors playing into that unpopularity could be the state's dire economy, high property taxes and Corzine's proposal to raise tolls on the state's highways.

The Rasmussen survey found that respondents trust Christie over Corzine on the issues of taxes, cutting government spending, and cracking down on government corruption.

But Corzine cannot be counted out of the game just yet. The incumbent has yet to flex his political muscles in the race. Corzine, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, invested more than $60 million in personal funds into his successful 2000 bid for U.S. Senate and is expected to be able to outspend Christie this fall. Corzine also has strong support from the national party- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared at Corzine's kickoff rally Tuesday.

And the state overall leans Democratic despite the high number of unaffiliated voters, who made up 47 percent of registered voters according to the latest figures. A Republican last won the New Jersey governorship in 1997 and state voters have supported a Democrat for president in the past five presidential elections. Democrats currently control the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and eight out of 13 U.S. House seats.

-Rachel Kapochunas