Lautenberg in Comfortable Lead

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Tabular Results
Survey Details

With the general election days away, New Jersey’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, former Congressman Dick Zimmer, has made little impression on voters.  According to the latest poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, 72% of likely voters have not heard of Dick Zimmer or have no opinion of him.  Just 16% have a favorable opinion of him against 12% who have an unfavorable opinion.

Voters in general are hardly enthusiastic about incumbent Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg: He has just 35% favorable opinion against 27% unfavorable. Another 28% have no opinion of him and 9% say they don’t know him at all.  But the senator has strong support in his own party: 49% favorable opinion against 14% unfavorable.

Lautenberg leads Zimmer comfortably by 52% to 32%.  Among Democrats, 81% say they favor Lautenberg, while 77% of Republicans say they favor their nominee.

“Senator Lautenberg has not had to run hard this year,” said Peter Woolley, a political scientist and director of the poll. “He’s caught in the updraft of enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential candidate and frustration with the Bush administration.”

The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 808 likely New Jersey voters statewide was conducted from Oct. 23 through Oct. 28 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Contacts: Peter Woolley 973.670.3239

For more information, please call (973) 443-8661.