Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) holds an 8-point lead over former GOP Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in the New Jersey gubernatorial race ahead of next Tuesday, according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday found Sherrill ahead of Ciattarelli 51 percent to 43 percent among likely voters. Three percent said they were undecided while both longshot candidates — Socialist Worker Party candidate Joanne Kuniansky and Libertarian Party candidate Vic Kaplan – each received 1 percent.
The polling offers a minor shift from the last poll Quinnipiac University released earlier this month, which showed Ciattarelli at 44 percent and Sherrill at 50 percent.
The poll offers several other bright spots for Sherrill. For one, Sherrill enjoys a higher favorability rating, 47 percent, compared to Ciattarelli at 43 percent. Ciattarelli also has a higher unfavorable rating, 47 percent, than Sherrill at 38 percent. More people haven’t heard of Sherrill, 13 percent, than Ciattarelli at 9 percent.
The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that term-limited New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) enjoyed a higher approval rating – 45 percent – compared to President Trump at 40 percent. Still, both men’s approval ratings are underwater in the state.
Trump has a higher disapproval rating – 56 percent – compared to Murphy, who has a 47 percent disapproval rating.
The top issue that respondents said was the most important in their selection for governor was taxes at 25 percent. That was followed by ethics in government at 16 percent and health care at 14 percent.
Sherrill and Ciattarelli are vying for Murphy’s seat on Tuesday to helm the Garden State. The race has turned increasingly competitive in the final stretch as more voters are tuning into the race and both campaigns bring in last-minute surrogates to rally their bases.
The poll shows Sherrill with a more comfortable lead over her GOP opponent compared to most recent public polls, which have shown her leading by less than 8 percent. An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released on Thursday showed Sherrill barely edging out Ciattarelli 49 percent to 48 percent, well within the poll’s margin of error.
A Decision Desk HQ polling average of surveys on the race shows Sherrill at 50 percent while Ciattarelli is at 45 percent.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28 with 1,166 New Jersey likely voters surveyed. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
