Corzine Closes the Gap on Christie in New Jersey

2 years ago

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The conventional wisdom in New Jersey is that the state is so Democratic, when a Republican starts out ahead in the polls, the lead is bound to erode as election day approaches. That may be coming to bear on the Chris Christie-Jon Corzine governor's race, with Corzine now trailing by only 43 percent to 39 percent, with 12 percent for independent Christopher Daggett, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Sept. 23-28. The margin of error is 2.8 points and 6 percent are undecided.

Corzine for weeks had been at least seven to eight points behind Christie in most other polls, and in Quinnipiac's September poll, Christie led by 10 points.

Christie enjoys more solid support among Republicans than Corzine does among his fellow Democrats, with 83 percent of Christie's party members backing him while 71 percent of Democrats express support for Corzine. Daggett, a former regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency whose political involvement has been mostly with Republicans, draws 11 percent from Democrats and 9 percent from Republicans. Among independents, Christie leads 45 percent to 32, with 16 percent backing Daggett.

"Christopher Christie is still ahead in the Garden State, but when he looks in the rear-view mirror he sees the bearded visage of Gov. Jon Corzine getting closer," said Quinnipiac's Maurice Carroll. "This race looks as if it will go down to the wire. Does Christopher Daggett's impressive climb measure a swing to him or simply a distaste for the two guys hollering at each other? Will Daggett fade by election day? At this stage, his numbers matter."

Voters divide equally at 38 percent each on whether they see Christie favorably or unfavorably, with 22 percent saying they hadn't heard enough about him to form an opinion. Fifty-six percent see Corzine unfavorably and 34 percent favorably, and 6 percent don't have an opinion. The most significant figure about Daggett is that 89 percent haven't heard enough about him to form an opinion.

Fifty-five percent disapprove of the job Corzine is doing as governor, compared to 36 percent who approve.

Forty-two percent say Corzine cares "about people like you," and an equal number say that about Christie. Forty-four percent regard Corzine as honest and trustworthy while 37 percent say that of Christie. Fifty-four percent say Corzine has strong leadership qualities compared to 46 percent for Christie.

The most important issue to Jerseyans is taxes, with 41 percent citing it. The economy comes in second at 17 percent. Sixty-one percent believe that if Corzine is re-elected taxes will go up. Only 34 percent say that about Christie.

Filed Under: Polls, Governors, Poll Watch, 2010 Elections

Tagged: chris christie, chris daggett, ChrisChristie, ChrisDaggett, jon corzine, JonCorzine, new jersey governors race, NewJerseyGovernorsRace

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