Poll: NJ voters prefer Giuliani
JEFFREY GOLD
Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. - Although normally a Democratic-leaning group, New Jersey voters are increasingly supportive of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's presidential aspirations, according to a poll released Thursday.
Giuliani, a Republican, would defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., 50 percent to 41 percent, based on a survey of New Jersey voters by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
In January, the poll gave Giuliani a 48-41 edge over the wife of former President Bill Clinton. She is the top choice of New Jersey Democrats.
Giuliani, the top choice among New Jersey Republicans, also would defeat Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, 50-39.
Giuliani also extended his advantage over other GOP hopefuls. The poll found he had a 58-15 lead in New Jersey against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, his nearest contender, compared to a 39-21 edge in January.
"It's still early in the 2008 presidential race, but Rudy Giuliani, the mayor next door and hero of 9/11, has hit the 50 percent mark in New Jersey, widening his lead over Sen. Clinton and leaving Sen. McCain in the dust in a Republican primary matchup," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac institute.
Those polled gave dismal ratings to President Bush and his recent initiatives. Some 70 percent disapproved of how Bush is handling his job, and only one-fourth approved, matching his lowest approval rating, reached in December.
Three-quarters of the voters disapproved of how Bush is handling Iraq, and less than 30 percent of the voters supported the president's decision to send 22,000 additional troops to Iraq.
The poll of 1,302 registered voters was conducted from Feb. 20-25 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Quinnipiac: quinnipiac.edu
i wouldn't be surprised to see pa and ct. go the same way. |
