Trump’s Approval Surpasses Murphy in New Jersey Poll

Surprisingly, President Trump appears to have a better approval rating among voters in New Jersey than Governor Phil Murphy, despite the state’s leanings towards the Democratic Party.

According to Emerson College polls, Trump’s approval stands at 41%, whereas Murphy sits at a lower 35%. Interestingly, while Trump’s disapproval rating is 51%, Murphy’s is at 44%. Additionally, a notable 21% of those surveyed expressed no opinion on the governors, indicating a level of neutrality or indecision among the electorate.

In the current governor’s race, Democrat Mikier Cheryl and former state legislator Jacques Ciatarelli are neck and neck, both garnering 43% support according to the same poll.

“Both President Trump and Governor Murphy are facing challenges with voters in Jersey,” noted Spencer Kimball, the executive director of polling at Emerson College.

Cheryl seems to be attempting to link Ciatarelli to Trump on a national level, while Ciatarelli counters by connecting Cheryl to Murphy and pressing issues like the cost of living in New Jersey.

The polls indicate a nearly even split among voters regarding their preferred relationship with Washington: 49% believe they want Murphy to cooperate with Trump, while 51% would prefer to keep their distance from the former president.

When it comes to voting priorities, more than half (51%) indicated that the economy is the foremost concern ahead of the November 4 election. Housing affordability and threats to two other unspecified issues fell significantly behind, receiving only 13% and 11% respectively.

One in five New Jersey voters holds Murphy accountable for rising property tax rates, while 22% blame him for increased energy costs. In contrast, 30% believe utility companies are chiefly responsible for these issues.

Despite its historical support for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992, New Jersey did see Trump lose to Kamala Harris by a margin of 5.9% points in the 2024 election. This was based on a survey conducted by Emerson College/PIX11/The Hill among 935 New Jersey voters on September 22-23, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.