Politics & Government

Poll: Booker Has Huge Lead Against Lonegan

Survey suggests an uphill battle for Republican as October special election for Senate approaches.

Newark mayor and US Senate candidate Cory Booker has a massive lead over Republican challenger Steve Lonegan among likely voters, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released early Wednesday.

Booker, a Democrat, enjoys the support of 64 percent of those polled, according to the survey, which is consistent with polling done since Booker formally announced his candidacy following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg June 3 at the age of 89. Less than a third of those polled, 29 percent, plan to vote for Lonegan, a former Bogota mayor. Six percent of voters remain undecided.

Gov. Chris Christie called a special election for Oct. 16 to fill the remainder of Lautenberg’s term, which expires January 2015.

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The Eagleton poll also found that most voters -- even Lonegan supporters -- expect Booker to win, thanks to the 44-year-old mayor’s high name recognition. Most voters, 63 percent, have a favorable impression of Booker, while Lonegan, who is far less well known, has “made no impression” on about half the voters polled. Twenty-two percent have a favorable impression of the conservative Republican, while an equal percentage have an unfavorable impression.  

“Booker appears to be building an insurmountable lead,” said David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll and professor of political science at Rutgers. “While special elections are notoriously hard to predict, given uncertainties about turnout, Booker’s name recognition, celebrity-type status and stances on issues that align more with New Jersey’s ‘blue’ political climate seem to be driving momentum toward him and away from Lonegan.”

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Booker also enjoys rock-solid support among fellow Democrats, more than 90 percent of whom back him. Only about 75 percent of Republicans support Lonegan, the survey found.


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