NEW YORK - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has edged ahead of his Republican challenger, but voter dissatisfaction and the showing by an independent candidate keep the race too close to call, according to poll results released on Wednesday.
Corzine, a Democrat seeking re-election and the former chief executive of Goldman Sachs (GS.N), topped Republican Christopher Christie 43 percent to 38 percent among likely voters, the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said.
Independent Christopher Daggett had 13 percent, and 5 percent of voters said they were undecided.
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The New Jersey race and a governor's race in Virginia, the first such statewide contests since the November 2008 election of President Barack Obama, are being closely watched for clues as to voters' attitudes under the Democratic administration.
Despite Corzine's small lead, voters expressed strong dissatisfaction and the race remains fluid, especially with the impact of the independent candidate, said poll spokesman Maurice Carroll.
Voters overall disapproved 54 to 39 percent of the job Corzine is doing. Independent voters were even more negative, disapproving of Corzine 68 to 29 percent, the poll said.
"Don't be in a hurry to mark this election as over. Christopher Daggett changed it from 'ABC' -- Anybody But Corzine -- to a real three-way scrap," Carroll said.
"But a lot of Daggett's voters say they might change their minds by election day. Where will they go?" he said.
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Among Daggett supporters, 38 percent said they might change their minds, 43 percent said Christie was their second choice and 27 percent said Corzine was their second choice, it said.
Two weeks ago, Corzine led Christie, a former federal prosecutor, by just one percentage point, 41 to 40 percent, and 14 percent backed Daggett in a Quinnipiac poll. Other polls also have shown the Democrat and Republican neck-and-neck.
Just 12 percent of Christie voters and 19 percent of Corzine backers said they might change their mind.
The negative tone of the state contest's advertising has taken its toll, the poll found. Christie's ads accuse the governor of plans to raise taxes, a sore issue in New Jersey with its already very high property tax rates, while Corzine's ads criticize Christie for ties to former President George W. Bush, his driving record and his weight.
Of voters who have seen Corzine's television ads, a third said they feel less likely to vote for the sitting governor and two-thirds said the ads are annoying.
Of the voters who have seen Christie's ads, 28 percent said they are less likely to vote for the challenger and 58 percent said the ads were annoying.
"Everyone says negative advertising is bad, but everybody watches it," Carroll said. "Virtually every New Jersey voter has seen the Corzine and Christie ads, and most think that they're more annoying than informative."
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,267 likely New Jersey voters from Oct. 20 to 26. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. (Editing by Philip Barbara)
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