New Polls On NJ Governor Race Gives Dramatic Edge To Democrat With Just Days To Go
HAMDEN, CT (CBS) -- In a week and a half, New Jersey residents will elect their next Governor, and two new polls suggest the race may be all but decided.
This week's Quinnipiac University survey gives the Democrat, former Ambassador and Wall Street investor Phil Murphy, 57 percen of the likely vote.
That compares to 37 percent for two-term Republican Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno.
"Mister Murphy has a 20 point lead over his Republican opponent and is carrying virtually every voter group," pollster Peter Brown told KYW Newsradio.
In a mid-September survey, Murphy's lead was 25 points. Brown suggests Murphy's advantage now is almost insurmountable, given the lack of time for Guadagno to catch up.
The Guadagno camp questions the methodology of the Quinnipiac poll, saying it might work "if you're doing market research to sell soap," and insisting public polls like this one "have been wrong time and time again."
The survey of over 1000 likely voters was conducted from October 19th through the 24th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percent.
Stockton University also issued a poll this week, showing Murphy with a 14 point advantage over Guadagno, 51-37 percent.
Those numbers are an improvement for the Republican from mid-September when the gap was 18 percent.
