New poll looks good for Lautenberg, Zimmer, Clinton, Obama

A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll out today shows Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Republican Dick Zimmer well positioned in their respective primary battles.

The poll also found:

• Though Sen. Hillary Clinton won the New Jersey primary in February, Democrats now would like to see Sen. Barack Obama get the party's presidential nomination by a 45 percent to 38 percent margin.
• In a general election head-to-head matchup among registered voters, either Clinton or Obama would beat Republican Sen. John McCain.

• Though Democrats favor him for the nomination, Lautenberg will have work to do if he wins it: some 61 percent of registered voters said they would prefer someone else in the job. When asked if they thought Lautenberg, 84, was getting to old to be an effective senator, 41 percent agreed and 46 percent disagreed. That's an increase since January, when 34 percent agreed and 41 percent disagreed.
• The one group that had a plurality of voters saying 84 was too old for another six-year term was independents -- who are also the biggest bloc of voters in the electorate. Democrats were least likely to think it's a problem, which helps explain why age may not be a problem for Lautenberg in the primary.

• On the positive side for Lautenberg in November: voters would prefer a Democrat over a Republican regardless of who the candidates are by a 54 percent to 24 percent margin.
• Governor Corzine's job approval has not improved in the past month, and continues to be in negative territory. Public approval of the Legislature is slightly worse than Corzine's.

• More voters approve than disapprove of the job Lautenberg is doing as Senator by a 48 percent to 31 percent margin; Sen. Bob Menendez gets similar ratings, with 41 percent approving and 31 percent disapproving.
• Obama has a much higher favorable rating, 58 percent, than Clinton (46 percent) or McCain (39 percent).
• Of the three Republicans and three Democrats vying for their parties' Senate nominations, Lautenberg is the only one a majority of voters recognize. Some 57 percent did not recognize Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights; and 74 percent did not recognize Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello. On the Republican side, 71 percent did not recognize Murray Sabrin, who previously has run for governor and senator; 70 percent did not recognize state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, and 56 percent did not recognize Dick Zimmer, a former congressman who ran for senator in 1996.
• Despite these numbers, 93 percent of voters said they were following the campaign very closely or somewhat closely.

The poll was taken April 24-28 and the results for all 720 registered voters have a margin of error of 3.7 percent. The margin of error is higher for the results from the subsamples of Democrats, Republicans and independents.