I can’t help but wonder what PPP had heard to choose to spend the money to conduct this poll:
When Robert Torricelli looked bound for defeat in 2002 Democrats replaced him on the ballot with Frank Lautenberg at the last minute to hold onto the seat.
With Jon Corzine looking at this point like he’s probably going to lose, Public Policy Polling tested to see whether the party might be better off with Newark Mayor Cory Booker or Congressman Frank Pallone as its nominee for this year.
The answer with Pallone is a definite no. Only 14% of voters in the state have a favorable opinion of him while 25% view him negatively. Voters might not like the leadership in Trenton right now, but the idea of fixing it with a Washington politician does not seem to have much appeal. Pallone trails Chris Christie 43-23 in a potential contest, with Chris Daggett winning 15%.
A Booker candidacy is a more promising prospect. 41% of voters have a positive opinion of him, nine points higher than Corzine, and only 20% view him unfavorably, 40 points lower than Corzine. A narrow plurality of Republicans even have a positive opinion of Booker, something very unusual in these days of polarized party politics. Booker still trails Christie by a similar margin to Corzine though, 41-33, with Daggett picking up 13%.
Strangely enough, this qualifies as good news for the Corzine campaign. He’s apparently celebrating by declining to debate Christie on radio station New Jersey 101.5, making him, in the station’s words, “the first candidate for statewide office in 20 years to turn his back on our one million listeners by refusing to debate and talk to New Jersey voters.”