Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
With three weeks to go until Election Day, the New Jersey governor's race appears to be going down to the wire with Republican challenger Chris Christie getting the support of 41 percent of likely voters compared to 40 percent for Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
Independent Chris Daggett has the support of 14 percent of potential voters, the poll finds.
"It's still a nail-biter,'' said Maurice Carroll, poll director. "Christopher Christie has never given up the lead, but it's been getting slimmer and now it's a dead heat. Historically, third party candidates fade on Election Day. Apparently, voters agree. Very few of his backers are committed to Independent candidate Christopher Daggett and 77 percent of all voters say he has no chance of winning."
A Sept. 30 Quinnipiac poll found Christie leading 43 to 39 percent among likely voters, with 12 percent for Daggett.Two other recent polls give Corzine an equally thin lead over Christie.
In the new Quinnipiac poll, voters also agree 59 to 25 percent with Corzine's claim that Christie is too vague on his budget plans. But voters say 60 to 34 percent that Corzine's claim that Christie wants to drop mandated coverage for breast cancer exams is unfair.
By a narrow 45 to 48 percent margin, voters say Corzine is not honest and trustworthy.
Voters split 42 to 40 percent on whether Christie is honest and trustworthy.
Daggett is honest and trustworthy, voters say 29 to 8 percent, with 63 percent undecided.
"People obviously are listening to the negative ads from both sides,'' Carroll said. "Both Corzine and Christie get a split, at best, on the ‘honesty' question."
State Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan offered this reaction to the poll's findings.
"New Jerseyans clearly see the difference between Governor Jon S. Corzine who fights for the issues that matter most to New Jersey families — and Chris Christie who is wrong on what matters most to every New Jerseyans,'' he said. "Christie has tried in vain to mislead voters by changing his tactics but that doesn't change the fact that he simply doesn't get it.' New Jersey voters are too smart to fall for Christie's attempts to hoodwink them into voting for someone who has fought against the very issues that matter most to their future.''
Corzine leads 76 to 11 percent among likely Democratic voters, with 10 percent for Daggett. Christie leads 83 to 8 percent among Republicans, with 7 percent for Daggett, and 41 to 32 percent among independent voters, with 20 percent for Daggett.
Independent voters have shifted from 46 to 30 percent for Christie, with 16 percent for Daggett on Sept. 1, to 45 to 32 percent for Christie, with 16 percent for Daggett on Sept. 30.
While 80 percent of Christie voters and 75 percent of Corzine backers say their minds are made up, only 39 percent of Daggett backers say the same.
New Jersey voters disapprove 56 to 39 percent of the job Corzine is doing, but it is his best approval rating in months. Independent voters disapprove 62 to 34 percent.
New Jersey voters agree 59 to 35 percent with Christie's claim that Corzine failed to make enough budget cuts.
"Corzine has failed to control the state budget, Christie ads proclaim,'' Carroll said. "Voters agree. Christie is too vague on what he'd do as governor, Corzine ads proclaim. Again, voters agree. The Corzine team obviously likes the mammogram attack on Christie. They keep running it. But New Jerseyans don't like it. ‘Unfair,' they say, almost 2-1."
In open-ended questions, allowing for any answer, New Jersey likely voters say what they like most and least about the candidates:
- 6 percent say Corzine's biggest plus is that he is honest, straightforward, sincere;
- 20 percent most dislike the governor's record on taxes in general and property taxes;
- 11 percent most like Christie because he's "not Corzine" or represents "change;"
- 11 percent say the challenger's biggest negative is that he's "dishonest" or "hypocritical;"
- 8 percent most like Daggett because he's independent or non-partisan;
- 6 percent most dislike Daggett because he's a "spoiler."
Christie gets slightly negative 38 to 40 percent favorability, his worst measure so far.
Voters have a 53 to 40 percent negative opinion of Corzine, his best score in months.
For Daggett, 73 percent still don't know enough about him to form an opinion.
From Thursday to Tuesday, Quinnipiac surveyed 1,264 New Jersey likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Quinnipiac also conducts public opinion surveys in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and nationally as a public service and for research.
