June 9, 1999 - Florio Inches Up On Whitman In Senate Race, Quinnipiac College Poll Finds; Bob Grant And Other Candidates Barely Register Former Democratic Governor James Florio has gained a little ground in his possible U.S. Senate race with Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who now leads 50 - 38 percent, according to a Quinnipiac College Poll released today. In a March 31 poll by the independent Quinnipiac College, Gov. Whitman was ahead of Florio 51 - 35 percent. Whitman leads among men 52 - 37 percent, and among women 48 - 39 percent. Republicans favor Whitman 79 - 13 percent, while Democrats back Florio 70 - 23 percent. Independents back Whitman 51 - 34 percent. "New Jerseyans like their Governor a lot more than they like their ex-governor, but the election is 17 months away," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac College Polling Institute. "Whitman vs. Florio, the sequel, still measures as a big Whitman win, but Florio has moved slightly while Whitman is stuck at the 50 percent mark. "It is worth noting that Whitman's job approval rating improved slightly even as Florio gained slightly on her." The Governor's approval rating is 55 - 37 percent, compared to 52 - 40 percent in the March 31 Quinnipiac College Poll. By a 48 - 28 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of Whitman, while 21 percent have a mixed opinion and 2 percent haven't heard enough to form an opinion. Favorability ratings for other possible Senate candidates are: Favorable Unfavorable Mixed No Opinion Florio 25 34 22 18 U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone 10 4 9 76 Former Democratic State Chair Tom Byrne 10 6 11 73 Radio host Bob Grant 15 19 12 54 Businessman Jon Corzine 3 2 4 91 "To win votes, you first have to win recognition. So far, Florio is the only would-be senator on the Democratic side to pass the familiarity test," Carroll said. "The former governor has a negative 25 - 34 percent favorability, but that's an improvement on his 24 - 43 percent favorability rating March 31. "The big money candidate is still unknown. Jon Corzine is about as close to anonymous as a possible political candidate can be, despite what the insiders say about him," Carroll added. "Radio personality Bob Grant has a loyal following, but that doesn't seem to translate to Senate candidate Bob Grant," From June 2 - 7, Quinnipiac College surveyed 1,109 New Jersey residents who say they are registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent. The Quinnipiac College Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a public service and for research. For additional data: www.quinnipiac.edu 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christine Whitman is handling her job as Governor of New Jersey? Mar 31 Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999 Approve 55% 76% 36% 54% 57% 53% 52% Disapprove 37 18 55 37 35 38 40 DK/NA 8 6 9 9 8 9 8 2. Is your opinion of former New Jersey Governor James Florio favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Mar 31 Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999 Favorable 25% 14% 40% 24% 25% 26% 24% Unfavorable 34 52 16 35 41 27 43 Mixed 22 19 23 24 17 26 20 Haven't heard enough 18 14 21 17 16 20 12 REFUSED 1 2 - 1 - 1 1 3. Is your opinion of New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Mar 31 Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999 Favorable 10% 5% 14% 10% 14% 8% 12% Unfavorable 4 7 4 3 6 3 4 Mixed 9 8 7 10 10 8 10 Haven't heard enough 76 80 74 76 70 82 74 REFUSED - - 1 1 1 - - 4. Is your opinion of New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about her? Mar 31 Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999 Favorable 48% 71% 30% 47% 51% 46% 40% Unfavorable 28 13 45 29 29 28 25 Mixed 21 15 22 21 17 24 31 Haven't heard enough 2 2 3 2 2 3 4 REFUSED - - 1 - 1 - 1 5. Is your opinion of Former Democratic State Chairman Tom Byrne favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 10% 7% 16% 8% 12% 8% Unfavorable 6 9 4 5 8 4 Mixed 11 10 11 11 10 11 Haven't heard enough 73 74 69 76 70 76 REFUSED 1 - 1 - 1 - 6. Is your opinion of broadcast personality Bob Grant favorable unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 15% 21% 7% 16% 21% 10% Unfavorable 19 14 26 20 21 17 Mixed 12 11 11 12 13 11 Haven't heard enough 54 53 55 52 44 62 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 - 7. Is your opinion of businessman Jon Corzine favorable, unfavorable, mixed, or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 3% 4% 4% 2% 4% 2% Unfavorable 2 4 2 1 3 1 Mixed 4 4 5 3 6 2 Haven't heard enough 91 88 89 93 87 94 REFUSED - - - - - - 8. If the election for United States Senator in the year 2000 were being held today and the candidates were James Florio the Democrat, and Christine Whitman the Republican, for whom would you vote? Mar 31 Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom 1999 Florio 38% 13% 70% 34% 37% 39% 35% Whitman 50 79 23 51 52 48 51 SOMEONE ELSE (VOL) 3 2 1 5 4 2 4 WOULDN'T VOTE (VOL) 3 2 2 4 3 3 4 DK/NA 6 4 4 7 4 8 6
