Can Menendez win again? Poll shows NJ voters don’t know challengers

⚫ Not many people know First Lady Murphy or U.S. Rep. Kim, a poll finds

⚫ Kim and Murphy are fighting for the senate seat held by Bob Menendez

⚫ Menendez has not ruled out another run for the seat

New Jersey residents don't know much, or anything at all, about two Democrats hoping to take over the seat of embattled New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez in 2024, according to a poll released Monday out of Rutgers University.

But the same poll suggests Senate hopefuls Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy are in a better position than the Democratic incumbent, who's facing federal charges of bribery and other serious offenses.

In the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, 41% of the nearly 1,000 New Jersey adults who were surveyed said that they do not know U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., 3rd District, who's been serving the Garden State on the federal level since 2019.

Thirty-eight percent said they don't know First Lady Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey's governor.

Murphy announced her intention to run for the Senate seat this month. Kim hinted at a run for the seat one day after the indictment against Menendez was announced.

Twenty-seven percent of voters say they're unsure about Kim; a third feel the same about Murphy.

"Both Kim and Murphy are well known in Garden State politics, but each of them still needs to build some name recognition with the average voter," said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

Koning expects New Jersey voters to learn much more about Kim and Murphy as the months go on.

"The average voter simply isn't plugged in yet to this election," she said.

Will Menendez run for Senate again?

Menendez, who has denied all charges and has entered not-guilty pleas, has not ruled out another run for the Senate seat. The three-term senator has resisted calls from dozens of Democrats to resign.

In the poll, just six percent of respondents said they have a favorable impression of Menendez, compared to 69% who have an unfavorable one. Negativity toward Menendez spans across all demographics, including political parties.

"Menendez's ratings have never been exceptionally positive throughout his tenure as a U.S. senator in New Jersey, but they have now unsurprisingly hit rock bottom," said Jessica Roman, a research associate with the Eagleton Center.

In the same poll, 45% of voters have a favorable view of the state's other U.S. senator, Cory Booker.

Poll results on U.S. presidency

New Jersey voters don't love their options for U.S. President, according to the same poll out of Rutgers.

A little more than half have an unfavorable view of President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election. Sixty-one percent of voters have an unfavorable view of former president Donald Trump.

Since leaving office in 2018, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has picked up some points among the public, according to the poll. Nineteen percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Republican presidential candidate. Sixty-four percent have an unfavorable opinion of Christie.

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