Cory Booker Has Huge Polling Lead For N.J. Senate Seat

Impact

Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker has his sights set on a vacant New Jersey Senate seat, and public opinion certainly agrees. According to the latest New Jersey poll, Booker has strong leverage to secure a victory.

New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D.) announced his retirement due to his age; he is currently 89 years old and will be 90 if seeking another six-year term. Lautenberg’s exit has given Cory Booker and other Democratic hopefuls the green light to launch their campaigns.

The latest poll numbers are courtesy of Farleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind poll. In a press release Wednesday, results indicated a strong favorability towards Booker. Among registered Democrats, 50% agreed Booker would be the best candidate. Frank Pallone gained a weak 4% and Rush Holt earned 7%, leaving 34% of Democrats unsure.

Another PublicMind Poll found a strong lead by Booker against Republican candidate Geraldo Rivera. Booker secured 52% favorability compared to Rivera’s 21%, leaving the rest of the participants 26% unsure. The sample size accounted for 702 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

Although Booker may revel in his advantage in public opinion, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may pose a threat to his possible lead. Christie has been able to amass astounding approval ratings in a typically blue state. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, Christie received a 74% job approval rating. The polling center reported that it was the highest rating ever recorded by a state governor for their institution.

However New Jersey has had a long history of having Democrats hold office in Congress, and that will be something Christie will find difficult to compete with. Booker is quickly becoming a rising star in the Democratic Party, and made a name for himself for his passionate speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in September 2012.  With public opinion in his favor, Booker’s campaign team can feel at ease as the election season continues.