Pollster: ‘A large chunk of the electorate does not tune in until mid-October’

Nearly one-third of New Jersey voters view the political views of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy as in line with most New Jerseyans, while 22% say he’s out of step, a Monmouth University Poll released on Wednesday says.

Of the same group of voters, 13% say that Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli’s political views are in line with the state and 15% says they are out of step – with 73% still not sure.

“Welcome to New Jersey elections, where a large chunk of the electorate does not tune in until mid-October. That means Ciattarelli still has to be introduced to most voters. The question is whether the candidate or his opponent gets to make the introduction,” said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.  “A good bet is the Murphy team will pour resources into ads casting the largely unknown challenger as too extreme for the state.”

Among voters who consider themselves independents, 13% say Ciattarelli’s views are in line with New Jersey’s and 13% say they are not.  Nearly three-quarters (74%) say they are not sure.

Nearly half of the voters polled (46%) aren’t sure about Murphy, who is seeking to become the first Democratic governor to win a second term in 44 years.

One-in-five Republicans (20%) say that Murphy is in line with the rest of the state, and 27% of those Republicans say that he’s out of step.

Among Republicans, 64% say they aren’t sure about Ciattarelli’s views.