According to a new Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll released Monday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, seems poised to defeat any Republican challenger in his bid for re-election this November.Booker, a former Newark mayor, won the seat in October by defeating ex-Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan in a special election held to fill the longtime Senate seat of Frank Lautenberg, who died in June at age 89.
Currently, Booker maintains a 47 percent job approval rating with 55 percent saying that Booker should be given a full term in office, according to the poll. In contrast, just 20 percent disapprove of the job Booker is doing and 33 percent say they would like to see someone else fill his shoes in Washington.
“New Jersey voters are just getting to know Cory Booker as their Senator and generally giving him positive reviews,” poll director Patrick Murray said. “They feel they have seen enough to say he deserves a full term.”
Part of the problem for Booker’s Republican challengers is name recognition. The poll found that while only 10 percent of New Jersey voters reported having an impression of announced challenger Murray Sabrin, a Ramapo College finance professor, even less have opinions on other announced candidates like Jeff Bell, Brian Goldberg, Rich Pezzullo and Robert Turkavage.
“In a race that pits Cory Booker against What’s His Name, Booker is the odds on favorite,” Murray said.
In a hypothetical head-to-head between Booker and Sabrin, who has made previous unsuccessful bids for the seat and for the governor’s office, Booker garners 58 percent of the vote as opposed to 25 percent for Sabrin.
