Gov. Phil Murphy stands a solid chance of winning a second term in November’s election against Republican rival Jack Ciattarelli, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
The incumbent Democrat leads Ciattarelli by 9 percentage points, 50%-41%, according to the Stockton University Poll. It’s the latest poll of the race that shows Murphy in the lead, though the first that shows him ahead by less than a double-digit margin.
Nine percent of voters polled said they were undecided or didn’t like either candidate, according to the poll.
The survey was conducted a week before the two clashed Tuesday night in the first of two gubernatorial debates. The pair fought over everything from the state’s response to the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida to the death toll in its nursing homes, taxes, and abortion.
A majority of voters — 54% — approve of Murphy’s job performance compared to 41% who disapprove, according to the poll. Murphy’s favorability was 50% compared to 43% who had an unfavorable view of him. Only 5% are unfamiliar of the governor.
Voters said the coronavirus pandemic was the top issue on their minds, which is good news for Murphy because voters said he would manage the crisis better than Ciattarelli by 50% to 34%.
Also, 58% support mask mandates in schools compared to only 37% who oppose it, 56% support a mandate that employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or be tested weekly for the virus compared to 44% who oppose, and 6% support a vaccine requirement for health care workers and only 34% oppose the measure.
Murphy hasn’t issued any requirement that private businesses vaccinate their workers. But he did issue orders requiring health care workers and teachers to be vaccinated or face regular testing, and masks are required inside schools statewide K-12.
But half of voters — 50% to 46% — oppose requiring proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, public events, or entertainment venues, which Murphy hasn’t mandated.
There are some positives for Ciatarelli: 46 percent see him as better at handling tax policy, compared to 38% for Murphy on that issue. He ties Murphy on who would better manage the economy.
But nearly half of the voters say they’re not familiar with the Republican challenger.
“As a clean slate to many, Ciattarelli has the chance to tell his story and introduce himself to voters,” said John Froonjian, director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. “The Murphy campaign will likely try to define him first in negative terms.”
The same poll from Stockton University showed a plurality of voters — 45% — opposed a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would allow gambling on college games held in the state or games in which New Jersey college teams participate. A total of 40% support it compared to 14% who are unsure.
A Monmouth University poll released earlier in the month gave Murphy a 13-percentage-point lead, 51% to Ciattarelli’s 38%, in November’s election. It was a 3-percentage-point drop from a similar Monmouth poll from a month ago.
This is the first Stockton poll on the governor’s race, so there is no apples-to-apples comparison on how the matchup has changed.
Stockton University surveyed 552 likely voters Sept. 17-25. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.