New Jersey is known as one of the most reliably blue states in the nation, with most presidential candidates not even bothering to visit the Garden State because the outcome is already known.
But New Jersey might be shifting its political alignment just a bit, at least based on the results of new Monmouth University polls.
One poll shows President Biden’s approval rating being underwater with New Jersey residents; 52% disapprove of his job performance and just 41% approve of it – a historic low for him in the state. This might not be surprising, as the president isn’t particularly liked across the country.
However, Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy and Democrat Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez are feeling the heat in the polls too.
According to the Monmouth poll, Menendez has a -9 approval rating – 36% approve, 45% disapprove. Cory Booker has a 47%-40% job approval rating among New Jersey voters. That’s better than Menendez, but it’s the first time Booker has been below the 50% approval mark.
Governor Murphy isn’t immune from this turn either. He has a 50%-40% approval/disapproval rating, marking a slight decline in voter perceptions of him.
The shift is, so far, thanks mostly due to independent voters moving away from Democrats. But South Jersey has also been slowly turning more red, and in the coming years, could potentially flip New Jersey to red.
It doesn’t make a difference as long as trump is around, no republican can win in NJ.