FDU poll: Corzine remains lukewarm with voters

Voters' feelings on Gov. Jon Corzine remain tepid, although they've slightly improved, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning.

Corzine’s approval rating stands at 45%, while 39% of respondents disapprove of the way he’s handled his job. 17% are unsure or mixed. 40% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Governor, while 43% are unfavorable.

Only 23% of voters think the state is heading in the right direction – the same number that FDU found last month.

The poll also found that New Jersey voters don’t recognize the names of some of the public officials who have been making news lately.

Despite running a statewide race to challenge incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park), U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews is unknown by 61% of the electorate. In fact, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) is better known, with only 57% of voters never having heard of him. And while U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) has seen his political stock rise in the aftermath of Bergen County Democratic boss Joe Ferriero’s indictment, 70% of voters don’t know who he is. Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman – a potential candidate for Lieutenant Governor next year – is unknown by nine in ten voters.

Republicans fare even worse. Eighty-four percent of voters have never heard of state Sen. Bill Baroni, who chairs John McCain’s New Jersey campaign. Nine in ten voters haven’t heard of Assemblyman Rick Merkt, who’s probably going to run for governor next year. And biotech executive John Crowley may be lining himself up for statewide office, but only 19% of respondents had heard his name.

“When it comes to name recognition, the governor has no rivals on the horizon,” said pollster Peter Woolley. “For the time being, that makes insider party politics that much more important in positioning oneself to rival or succeed the governor.”

The FDU poll surveyed 801 registered voters between September 29th and October 5th. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.