The New Jersey governor’s race is in a virtual deadlock, according to a new poll of likely voters by Fairleigh Dickinson University conducted Sept. 28 to Oct 5.
Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine leads Republican challenger Chris Christie 38 percent to 37 percent, within the 4 percentage-point margin of error. Independent Chris Daggett is at 17 percent - including 20 percent of likely Democrats and 11 percent of likely Republicans.
It is the first time Corzine has led Christie, a former U.S. attorney, in the Farleigh Dickinson poll since January.
Corzine has also closed the gap with Christie to a virtual tie on the perception among voters of which candidate is more “honest and trustworthy,” and which “understands the concerns of the average person.”
The incumbent’s polling gains have come as Christie’s negatives have grown. Forty-two percent of likely voters now view him unfavorably, compared to 35 percent with a favorable view. Twenty percent have no opinion. In September, 35 percent of likely voters said they had an unfavorable opinion of Christie, while 38 percent had a favorable view.
Corzine’s favorable ratings have remained much steadier, albeit negative. In the latest Fairleigh Dickinson poll, 37 percent of likely voters held a favorable view of Corzine compared to 54 percent with an unfavorable view. Just 9 percent had no opinion.
Likely voters still rate Corzine’s job performance negatively, with 69 percent giving him fair or poor ratings compared to 29 percent who give him good or excellent ratings.
Daggett’s name recognition among likely voters got a recent boost, particularly since his well-reviewed performance at the first debate Oct. 1. Still, half of respondents have not heard of the independent candidate, and 27 percent of those who have did not hold an opinion of him.
![[RSS]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/rss_icon.gif){kind=icon}
![[ARCHIVES]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/archives_icon.png){kind=icon}
Comments
Jon Corzine has been an able and honest leader through a very difficult time.
Christie has shown himself to be a bully and an entirely negative persona in the campaign. Christie's threat to investigate Daggett in the debate shows that Christie is willing to use his official powers to pursue partisan advantage.
Daggett remains appealing. It is a shame that Christie has not dropped out and offered NJ voters an opportunity for meaningful change in Garden State politics.
Posted by: Robert Chapman
| October 7, 2009 4:47 PM
Post A Comment