Newark Mayor Cory Booker would likely crush Sen. Frank Lautenberg in a run by the two Democrats for the Senate, according to a new poll by
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind.
Lautenberg is known by 83 percent of New Jersey voters, and Booker is not far behind with 75 percent — but Booker’s favorable rating eclipses that of Lautenberg by a sizable margin: 66 percent versus 45 percent.
The poll also reveals 42 percent of Democratic voters want Booker over Lautenberg. Just 20 percent are pulling for Lautenberg.
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Booker recently threw his hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination.
“These numbers suggest that some difficult days may lie ahead for the incumbent senator should he seek reelection,” said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind.
“Sen. Lautenberg’s unfavorables, coupled with voter preferences for Booker as the Democratic standard bearer in the general election, complicate the landscape for this living legend amongst New Jersey politicians.”
The poll says “Lautenberg comes up short across a variety of demographic categories, with Booker favored among men, women, the young and the old.
He is also favored by whites and non-whites, the poll found.
“Booker has clearly leveraged his position as mayor of Newark to an admirable degree,” said Jenkins.
“But whether late night rescues of constituents from burning buildings and high profile spats with city officials can translate into a winning campaign remains to be seen.
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“At least for now, however, Mayor Booker begins his candidacy with a healthy amount of public support.”
The poll of 700 voters statewide was conducted by phone from Jan. 2 through Jan. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7
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