Trump unpopular among New Jersey likely voters

President Donald Trump has an upside-down 59%-39% approval rating among likely New Jersey voters, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released on Wednesday morning.

“Trump is a gift to Democratic candidates, including the incumbent senator. If they can make it a referendum on the President, that blue wave becomes increasingly possible,” said Krista Jenkins, director of the poll and a professor of politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University..

Trump’s numbers are significantly better than they were in a January 30 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll when he was at 31%-60%.

The President has 90% favorables among Republicans and 93% unfavorable among Democrats.  The president is upside-down among Independents, 33%-55%.

Men are split on Trump’s handling of his job as president, 49%-48%, but women overwhelmingly view him as unfavorable, 28%-69%.

Trump’s favorables among white voters is 44%-54% and is at 23%-74% among non-white voters.  He’s at 24%-75% among New Jerseyans in the 18-34 age group, 42%-54% among those 35-54, and 43%-55% among people over 55.  Voters with a high school education view him favorably, 51%-46%, but he’s upside-down among college graduates, 33%-64%.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone September 26-30, 2018 using a random sample of adults in New Jersey aged 18 and older.  Results have a margin of sampling error of +/- 3.8 percentage points, including the design effect. Interviews were conducted in English.  Among likely voters, or those whose responses to a variety of questions about their behavior and attentiveness concerning the November election suggest a likelihood of voting, 508 respondents were identified.  The sampling error for this group is +/- 4.3, including the design effect.

The poll carries weighted sample characteristics: 49% male, 51% female; 52% Democratic (with leaners), 33% Republican (with leaners), and 11% Independent; 28% ages 18-34, 35% ages 35-59, and 36% over 60; 64% White, 11% African-American, 15% Latino, and 7% Asian.