Former Goldman Sachs banker and Democrat Phillip D. Murphy leads New Jersey Republican Lt. Gov. Kimberly A. Guadagno in the race to be the next governor of the Garden State with 46 percent of voters supporting him compared to her 32 percent in the Big League-Gravis poll of 611 registered voters conducted Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.

“I would expect some tightening of the race going into the last week, just because it is the nature of Republicans to come home at the end, but Murphy has been ahead for so long, it is a pretty safe bet that he beats Guadagno,” said Doug Kaplan, the managing partner of Gravis Marketing, the Florida-based firm that executed the poll. The poll carries a 4 percent of a margin of error.

The election is Nov. 7.

Trending: Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski Emerge as Republican Red Flags in Potential SCOTUS Confirmation

Kaplan said the 2017 race is the reverse of the 2013 race, when Republican Gov. Christopher J. Christie won his second term.

take our poll - story continues below

Did Kyle Rittenhouse act in self defense? VOTE NOW: Did Kyle Rittenhouse act in self defense when he shot three BLM rioters?

Did Kyle Rittenhouse act in self defense when he shot 3 BLM rioters? * Yes, his life was in danger. No, his safety wasn’t threatened by an armed attacker.

Email *

Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Completing this poll grants you access to Big League Politics updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

“It is hard to remember now, but four years ago, Christie was still basking in his handling of the recovery from Super Storm Sandy and his walk on the beach with President Barack Obama,” he said.

“In this poll, only 15 percent of the voters approve of Christie’s job performance and 71 percent disapprove,” Kaplan said.

“In 2013, Christie won 60 percent of the vote in another race that was practically over as soon as it started,” he said. Christie beat Democrat Barbara Buono, who garnered 38 percent.

“The Christie win in 2013 could have been a watershed, because Christie got 20 percent of the black vote and more than half of the Hispanic vote,” he said. “Instead of building the New Jersey GOP on the foundation of his landslide, Christie ran for president and allowed the electoral loyalties in the states to revert to their old defaults.”

The survey was conducted using interactive voice response and an outline panel of cell phone users. The results were weighted to match a proprietary voter demographic model.

Crosstabs for the Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 Big League-Gravis Poll:

CROSSTABS FORMAT 1