Shock Poll: Senator Bob Menendez in Dead Heat With Challenger Bob Hugin

The consensus among political reporters is that New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the country. But even the electorate in the most corrupt state may have had enough with corrupt Senator Bob Menendez, who was previously the center of a corruption scandal involving bribery, fraud, and making false statements.

Despite having the charges against him dropped by the Justice Department in January after his trial ended in a hung jury and mistrial, his poll numbers are finally dropping.

According to Fox News:

“Menendez’ once-comfortable lead over Republican Bob Hugin has narrowed in recent polls amid withering attacks over his ethics challenges and personal controversies, and now one rating outfit has shifted the Senate race into the ‘toss-up’ column. Cook Political Report, reflecting how unexpectedly competitive the contest has become, announced Friday it is moving the race from ‘lean Democratic’ to “toss-up.”

Menendez has been outspent by a huge margin, and most was spent on attack ads highlighting Menendez’s corruption charges, and alleged affairs with underage Dominican prostitutes. The latter allegations have forced a response from Menendez.

It must be noted however that the Cook Political Report is an outlier. The average poll shows Menendez with a 7.7 point lead, according to Real Clear Politics. Still, one metric by which Hugin outperforms Menendez is on favorability. For example, while a Rutgers-Eagleton poll from Wednesday showed Menendez leading Hugin 51-46, 37% of Hugin’s supporters said they were eager about their choice, compared to only 19% of Menendez’s supporters. In other words, over 8 in 10 Menendez supporters will reluctantly vote for him.

New Jersey hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate in 46 years, so it would still be a miracle if Hugin wins, even in light of who his opponent is. While Menendez is polling better than Hugin (in a state where there are nearly 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans), there’s no guarantee his supporters will get off their couches.

By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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