Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., jumped to a double-digit lead in a poll released Friday, just days before the 2018 midterm elections.
The survey, from the Stockton Polling Institute, shows Menendez 12 percentage points ahead of his main challenger, Republican Bob Hugin, 51 percent to 39 percent.
Libertarian Party nominee Murray Sabrin was the next closest candidate with 3 percent.
“Even though his name is not on the ballot, President Trump’s presence appears to be at the top of the ticket in New Jersey,” said Michael Klein, interim executive director of the William Hughes Center for Public Policy, in a press release. “Our poll indicates that New Jersey’s voters oppose the president, and the best way to express that opposition at the ballot box is to re-elect Sen. Menendez, despite any misgivings they might have about the senator himself.”
A Republican candidate hasn’t won a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey in 46 years.
The Stockton poll, conducted Oct. 24-30, is the best showing for Menendez in months, according to a RealClearPolitics accounting of New Jersey Senate polls. The last Stockton survey, taken in September, showed him with only a slim 2-point advantage.
While Republicans are in jeopardy of losing the House, they appear poised to maintain the Senate. FiveThirtyEight’s forecast gives Democrats about a 15 percent chance of taking the upper chamber.
A total of 744 registered voters were contacted over the phone for the new Stockton poll. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
