New Jersey really doesn’t like Trump, poll says

Donald Trump has an upside-down 32%-60% approval rating in New Jersey, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released this morning.

There is no good news in the poll for Trump.  While New Jersey’s fourteen electoral votes are not expected to be in play, the state’s hugely negative view of the president could hurt GOP candidates further down the ballot.

Trump is at 27%-66% in North Jersey, 36%-54% in Central Jersey, and 36%-57% in South Jersey.

Among independent voters, he’s at 28%-48%.  Republicans give Trump a 70%-16% favorable rating, while Democrats put him at 7%-90%.

Trump is 37%-54% among women, 28%-65% among men, 44%-50% among white voters, and 16%-73% among non-white voters.

“Trump is faring considerably worse than his predecessor, Barack Obama, did at this point in his presidency, and Obama was wrestling with unemployment that was almost triple what it is today in New Jersey,” said Krista Jenkins, director of the FDU Poll and a professor of politics and government.  “Back then, the unemployment rate was 9 percent, but half of Garden Staters approved of the job he was doing as president. Today, Trump is wrestling with low approval amidst strong economic numbers,”

An Fairleigh Dickinson poll conducted in October 2019 had Trump’s approvals at 34%-57%.

Just 25% of New Jerseyans say that Trump has had major accomplishments as president, while 21% call his accomplishments minor.  Nearly four out of ten (38%) say he’s had no real accomplishments.

More than one-third (36%) of New Jerseyans say that Democrats have overreacted to Trump’s behavior, while 51% say Democrats have not done enough to correct problems they see with the way the president has behaved.

“Far from admonishing the Democrats for pursuing a ‘hoax,” most in the Garden State, including a fifth of Republicans, think they should be pursuing the president with even more vigor, despite surviving a failed impeachment trial,”  Jenkins said.

The poll was conducted between February 12-16 and has a margin of error of +/-4%.