Question: If the 2006 election for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Robert Menendez the Democrat and Tom Kean Jr. the Republican, for whom would you vote?

Menendez 38%
Kean 40
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2
WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2
DK/NA 18

New Jersey State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr., the Republican challenger, has closed the gap with Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and now has 40 percent to Menendez' 38 percent in their U.S. Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Another 18 percent remain undecided and 48 percent of those who have selected a candidate say they might change their mind.


This compares to a 43 - 36 percent lead for Sen. Menendez in a June 15 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.


Independent voters have shifted slightly from 37 - 35 percent for Menendez June 15, to 38 - 33 percent for Kean today, with 23 percent undecided.


In this latest survey, Republicans back Kean 76 - 8 percent, while Democrats back Menendez 71 - 11 percent.

About this Poll
From July 8 - 12, Quinnipiac University surveyed 985 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida and nationally as a public service and for research.