With fewer than three weeks before Election Day, Republican Jack Ciattarelli has cut Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s, D-N.J., lead to 6 percentage points in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, a Quinnipiac University poll showed Wednesday.
The race is one of the first major tests of President Donald Trump’s second term for Republicans seeking to turn out voters without him on the ballot.
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding gubernatorial contests this year, and Ciattarelli is the only candidate running with Trump’s endorsement.
In Virginia, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears faces former Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger but has not received Trump’s endorsement.
The poll of 1,327 likely New Jersey voters conducted Oct. 9-13 showed Sherrill at 50%. Her lead shrank by two points from the previous Quinnipiac survey, with 44% backing Ciattarelli. In the Sept. 17 poll, Sherrill led 49% to 41%.
The poll, which had a margin of error of ±3.6 percentage points, found 55% of respondents were very enthusiastic and 36% somewhat enthusiastic about supporting Ciattarelli.
For Sherrill, 42% said they were very enthusiastic and 44% somewhat enthusiastic about supporting her.
“The raucous debates are done, the attack ads are everywhere, and the race is close, with Sherrill holding a slight advantage,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
“As the clock ticks down to Election Day, voter enthusiasm will translate into turnout. For the moment, in that category, Ciattarelli has an edge.”
The poll showed 94% of Republicans backed Ciattarelli, and 92% of Democrats backed Sherrill. Among independents, 48% backed Ciattarelli, and 42% backed Sherrill.
Ciattarelli holds a 53% to 42% edge among men, while Sherrill has a wider margin, 57% to 36%, among women.
“While Jack Ciattarelli holds a fairly solid 11 percentage point lead among male voters, Mikie Sherrill has nearly double that lead with female voters,” Malloy said.
When asked, regardless of how they intend to vote, who they think is more honest, 45% chose Sherrill, 38% picked Ciattarelli, and 17% had no opinion.
When asked who better understands people like them, 49% said Sherrill, 41% said Ciattarelli, and 10% had no opinion.
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