According to a
Quinnipiac poll released today, Senator Bob Menendez maintains a seven point lead over Tom Kean Jr, a slight increase from April. 17% of voters remain undecided. The poll has a MoE of +/-3%.
6/06 4/06
Menendez 43% (40%)
Kean Jr 36% (34%)
Democrats and Republicans support their party's candidates by 74%-11% and 75%-12% respectively, and independents voters break 37%-35% for Menendez.
At this stage, the voters aren't buying Kean Jr's message. By 41%-23%, voters disagree "with Kean's claim that Menendez is an unethical party boss." And there's more bad news for Kean Jr: by 49%-24%, "voters agree with Menendez' claim that Kean is a "George Bush Republican" who would support Bush Administration policies."
And that's the crux of Kean Jr's problems. Bush's approval rating is an upside-down 28%-69% and New Jerseyan's disapprove of his handling of Iraq by 68%-28%. By 62%-33%, we think going to war in Iraq was wrong. Meanwhile, Kid Kean digs his head in the sand and insists that it was the right move. Gotta appease the lunatic warmonger fringe of the party somehow, I guess. And by warmonger "fringe", apparently that means almost all of them. Kean Jr and Bush Jr are perfect together. They are both on the wrong side of the most important issue facing the country right now, and that's going to cost Kean Jr the election.
(cross-posted at Blue Jersey)