Response by Rick Thigpen

Skip Cimino still has some very high hurdles to leap on his way to victory.  Running in one of the few districts statewide where the generic environment slightly favors Republicans, he must accomplish the task of unmasking changeling Senator Peter Inverso as a “real” Republican, advocating the type of leadership that George Bush has brought to our great State.  This manageable task is not being made easier by the voters’ attitudes toward Governor McGreevey.

These numbers show that Skip has two immediate strategic imperatives. The first is partisan, building stronger support with Democratic voters and turning them out.  The second is convincing those undecided voters, especially the Independents that this is no time to suddenly turn toward his long time incumbent REPUBLICAN opponent.  With a Mercer County Executive race and a Hamilton Mayoral race helping him turn out Democrats, this can get done.  Running against a strong opponent, Skip will have to tackle these hurdles like a champion.

see also:
Survey Analysis
Salmore's Analysis
Tabular Results
Survey Details

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate, Rick Thigpen (J.D., Columbia University Law School). Rick is a former Executive Director of the New Jersey Democratic Party and now a partner in The Strategy Group and is a campaign coordinator for the Essex County Democratic Party. Rick Thigpen, Esq. can be reached at (609) 394-0888.