New Jerseyans are dissatisfied, in the dark about the state’s future

The majority of New Jerseyans consider the state to be “off on the wrong track,” but also have no opinion or don’t know either of the governor candidates, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released on Thursday.

The majority of New Jerseyans consider the state to be “off on the wrong track,” but also have no opinion or don’t know either of the governor candidates, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released on Thursday.



Across many topics, New Jerseyans are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. Gov. Chris Christie’s job approval rating sits at 16 percent, the lowest in recent history, with 79 percent disapproving of his job so far.



This is closely tied to the 73 percent of respondents believing the state is “off on the wrong track,” compared to the 16 percent who believe it’s going in the right direction.



Despite the unfavorable views of the status quo, there isn’t much interest in who will succeed Christie as the state enters campaigning season after Labor Day.



Roughly 40 percent of New Jerseyans don’t know either Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno or Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Phil Murphy. Another 25 percent have no opinion on either candidate.



Currently, Murphy sits at slightly better than Guadagno, with 23 percent responding favorably to Murphy compared to Guadagno’s 17 percent. Similarly, Murphy’s disapproval rating fares better with 13 percent unfavorable ratings compared to Guadagno’s 18 percent.



Continuing the middle response to public officials is Sen. Bob Menendez as he heads into trial for alleged bribery. Roughly 28 percent hold positive views of Menendez contrasted with 25 percent who view the Senator negatively. An additional 26 percent had no opinion and 21 percent didn’t know Menendez by name. However the pollster said Menendez’s approval ratings have stayed mostly the same from the past two years.



It’s the governor candidates who seemingly have the most work to do before New Jersey’s gubernatorial election come November 7.

