Response by Rick Thigpen

First, I would like to honor the memory of Steve Salmore, a good man who recently passed away, and will be truly missed.

If there is anything people seem to like, it’s a winner. Not only do two-thirds of the public, including a majority of Republicans, think that Corzine is likely to win the general election, he continues to lead in every public poll. Corzine is winning among Democrats, among independents, and with men and women. Doug Forrester is facing a critical point in his campaign, 30% of voters who recognize his name still have no opinion of him. The way that 30% breaks is likely to make or break Forrester’s campaign.

A second problem for Forrester is that more voters think that Corzine is more likely to do something about high property taxes than Forrester. Property taxes are the central theme of Forrester’s campaign, but financial issues are central to Corzine’s expertise. Not only does Forrester have to come from behind but he has to beat Corzine at his own game. In essence, in the next six weeks, Forrester will have to prove to the electorate that he is a better short stop than Derrick Jeter.

see also:
Survey Analysis
Republican 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.