PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In the race for governor of New Jersey, incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy’s lead over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli is shrinking, but not by much according to a new poll.
Governor Murphy’s lead in the latest Monmouth University poll is now about 13%, which is down from 16% last month.
Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray said the boost for Ciattarelli seems to be coming from a predictable place.
“What we’ve seen is that Jack Ciattarelli has mainly picked up support from Republicans," said Murray.
"These are Republicans, leaning Republicans who sat on the fence in our August poll, but have kind of come home to roost where we expected them to.”
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Since Democrats have such a huge registration advantage in New Jersey, Murray thinks it will take a drastic change to make a big dent in these numbers on Election Day.
“The number one issue is COVID-19 and the pandemic, and on that issue, Murphy’s advantage is just absolutely huge," said Murray.
"50% of the state voters say they trust him more than Ciattarelli. Only 23% picked Ciattarelli on that issue.”
Murray said ad campaigns from both sides have done little to nothing to sway voters at this point.
