Menendez favorables at 6% in Eagleton-Rutgers poll

Following indictments for bribery, conspiracy and being an unregistered agent of a foreign government, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez has upside-down favorables of 6%-69% among registered voters in New Jersey, according to an Eagleton-Rutgers poll conducted more than two weeks ago and released today.

The embattled three-term U.S. Senator has underwater favorables of 9%-60% among Democrats. These numbers are consistent with other polls, making him unviable in a Democratic primary if Menendez decides to seek re-election next year.    He’s at 4%-66% among independents, 2%-76% among white voters, and has favorables of 11%-59% among non-white voters.

“Menendez’s ratings have never been exceptionally positive throughout his tenure as a U.S. senator in New Jersey, but they have now unsurprisingly hit rock bottom,” said Jessica Roman, a research associate at the Eagleton City for Public Interest Polling.  “He has likely scored the lowest favorability and approval ratings of any major New Jersey political figure we have ever polled in our five-decade history.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker has statewide favorables of 45%-29% among registered voters; he’s at 77%-6% among Democrats, 29%-33% among independents; and 15%-65% among Republicans.   Booker is at 40%-34% among white voters and 54%-31% among voters of color.

Former Gov. Chris Christie, who left New Jersey with the lowest approval ratings for a governor in state history, has improved a bit during his six years out of office and now has statewide approvals of 19%-64%. But among Republicans, his 24%-61% favorables would not be enough to win his home state.

Among New Jersey voters, President Joe Biden is upside-down at 37%-51%, with favorables of 69%-17% among Democrats, 21%-63% among independents, and 4%-92% among Republicans.  He’s underwater among New Jerseyans ages 18-34, with favorables of 23%-60%.

Former President Donald Trump still struggles in New Jersey, with voters giving him favorables of 27%-61%.  He’s at 70%-15% among Republicans, making him much more popular than Christie.

Most voters remain unfamiliar with the two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, First Lady Tammy Murphy and Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), although the poll was conducted before Murphy had announced her candidacy.

Kim’s statewide favorables are at 19%-12% and 33%-6% among Democrats.  Murphy is at 14%-15%, with Democratic favorables at 24%-3%.

There was no head-to-head contest between Menendez, Kim, and Murphy in the poll, and the Republican frontrunner, Christine Serrano Glassner, was not included.

“Both Kim and Murphy are well known in Garden State politics, but each of them still needs to build some name recognition with the average voter,” said Ashley Koning,  the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling director at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “While they may be each other’s competition in the coming months, neither one of them needs to worry about vying for voters with the third candidate still in this race for Sen. Bob Menendez’s seat – Menendez himself.”

The poll was conducted between November 3-5, with a sample size of 974 adults and a margin of error of +/- 4.%.   The registered voter sample size was 826, with a +/- 4/8% margin of error.