Talk Elections

A new poll by the Republican polling firm Strategic Vision shows Republican challenger Tom Kean, Jr. leading Senator Robert Menendez.

According to the poll, 22% of New Jerseyians have a favourable opinion of Kean.  9% have an unfavourable opinion of him and an astonishing 69% say they are undecided.  For Menendez, 25% have a favourable opinion of him, 14% unfavourable and 61% are undecided.

Voters are certainly decided about the performance of President Bush, however.  60% of Jersey voters disapprove of his overall job performance; 34% approve.

On the contentious issue of Roe v. Wade, New Jersey aligns firmly in favour of Roe.  58% do not want the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling, 31% do.

The poll also finds that 47% of voters approve of Governor Jon Corzine, 30% disapprove and 23% are undecided.

Menendez leads Kean 42%-37% in the latest Farleigh Dickinson poll:

http://publicmind.fdu.edu/gains/

This is the GOP's biggest chance of a pick-up. Early days, and an awful lot of undecideds. Menendez has a few months to make a positive impression on New Jersey at large

Dave

Hmm, that sounds like wishful thinking. ;)

Great News... normally i'd lean towards a Democratic candidate but in this race NJ needs a decent Senator and Kean has a far better chance of being that "new broom" than a hack like Menendez... hmmm Senators Kean and Casey along with DeWine's re-election will make my evening in November :) 

I quite agree with you :)

Does NJ have any law about candidates needing a majority to take office, or will a plurality suffice? If any sort of appealing third party candidate emerges, it seems that Kean and Menendez could both easily end up getting in the 40's. 

No one seems to like Menendez much, but NJ is solidly Democratic, so you're going to end up with lots of voters who usually go Democratic, but don't really like the Democrat. Those people could probably be swayed by any sort of convincing Independent/Green or whatever. Hell, the Republican isn't even that extreme, some far-right candidate could also take away lots of votes.

Beyond Louisiana, there are no states that use IRV, so no.

Consensus is a wonderful thing.

So basically, New Jeyseyites don't like what they don't know, nor what they do know?

If this were not New Jersey, Kean would be way ahead.

But it is New Jersey.

That it is ;D but the Democrats are the Senate minority and can't afford to lose New Jersey or anywhere else for that matter

Dave

The Republican party here is in only alittle better shape than in NY.  There is already massive in fighting in the Bergen County betwen moderate and conservative groups to get Kean's support in the primary.  Which ever side loses has vowed to not support Kean.  No Republican can win statewide in NJ with out a significant plurality in Bergen County.

Consensus with one of my ideological buddies is always nice ^_^ (yay Ben!) and while I understand where you're coming from Hawk I don't have a party to root for so I can just back candidates I like. ;D

So you like enabling these far-right whackos who are destroying our country?

Kean and DeWine? Far-right whackos? What are you smoking today, ferny old boy? ;)

Keeping them in the Senate means having Bill Frist & Rick Santorum in control of our country's legislative agenda.

That's quite an accomplishment, given that one definately won't be in the Senate and the other is unlikely to retain his position. 

Kean and DeWine are unique in today's Republican party though.  Anyway, whenever Democrats come close in Red States Republican constantly crow that if people vote for them they'll be putting Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton in charge of the Senate.  If New Jerseyians do elect Tom Kean, they will be advancing the agenda of President Bush.  In the end, I believe this message repeated over and again will defeat Kean.

Helps keep the Republicans in the majority, obviously.

Heh. :)

Furthermore, enabling Democratic left-wing whackos is no better than enabling Republican right-wing whackos. So until I can vote for a communitarian party I'll be picking and choosing my candidates. ;D

We've already have 6 years of right-wing wackos running the country.

Isn't it time for a change??? Or are you still scared of the "Ted Kennedy boogeyman" (who doesn't have a leadership position anyway)?

The Dem leadership consists of Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and Byron Dorgan (policy director).

Doesn't seem to work for Collins and Snowe in Maine, or Smith in Oregon, or Specter in Pennsylvania.

There probaly isn't anything that any of us can say to one another to get us off our respective partisan high-horses, so we might as well agree that we're all idiots and just let it stand at that.

*12* :P

Not yet - the left still runs the Dems, the right still runs the Reps, and the rest of us scatter between the parties.  I'm talking about the policy positions each party takes and who they choose to represent them.

Personally, I would say the communitarians and libertarians are way underrepresented, especially in Congress, and that the left-liberals and right-conservatives are way overrepresented, especially in Congress. Until that changes, I ain't budging from being an Independent. ;)

Lol, but the whole point of the discussion was on how particular senators behaved, regardless of partisanship. Obviously.

Thats a fair enough point.  I suppose there are exceptions.  However, I think that given the fact that New Jersey is a solidly Democratic state in a year which is looking up for the party, it will influence how they vote in an election.  I expect Snowe to be re-elected impressively, but perhaps less than 69%-31%.