Corzine Leading Republican Rivals 2 to 1

We’ll let the snips from this Stat-Ledger article speak for themselves. Isn’t it amazing the criteria people use to decide their vote?

U.S. Senator Jon Corzine's name recognition has propelled him to an early 2-to-1 lead over his top Republican rivals in this year's race for governor, according to a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll.

When matched up with the two leading Republican candidates, the poll found, Corzine leads former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler by 47 percent to 22 percent and businessman Doug Forrester 46 percent to 23 percent.

"Corzine starts out in clearly better shape than either of his two top potential Republican opponents, who still have a tough battle ahead in the Republican primary," said Jeffrey Levine, the poll's director. "Voters are familiar with him, and there is a general sense that he's a good guy doing a good job."

"I've seen Corzine on a few television shows, he speaks well, and I guess I'll have to vote for him. He's got no money problem. That's for sure. Who are the other guys again? I don't know a damn thing about them," said Anthony Valvano, a 68-year-old retired salesman and independent voter from Lyndhurst.

Fifty-one percent of voters say eliminating corruption is an "extremely important" task for the state's next governor, topping even the 47 percent who say the same of protecting the state from terrorist attacks.

Also on voters' list of concerns: improving education and access to quality health care, each cited by 42 percent; the ever-present concern over property taxes -40% the looming state budget crisis (38 percent) and reducing crime - 36%. Auto insurance, long a top issue in the state, was rated "extremely important" by just 35 percent.

Bob Morrison, a 43-year-old independent voter from Warren Township, said those issues are important, but the honesty and ethics of public officials elected to tackle them is paramount.

Corzine showed most strongly on traditional Democratic issues such as increasing access to quality health care, protecting the environment and improving education.