Zogby: NJ Gov Race Political Shocker Of The Year

Zogby weighs in on New Jersey's governor race:

Republican business executive Doug Forrester has gained significant ground on Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine, whose once double-digit lead has dwindled to a 44 percent to 43 percent statistical dead heat, according to a WNBC/Marist poll of 600 registered voters.

"What was supposed to be a coronation is actually turning into a bloody duel. Two weeks ago, I had Corzine ahead of Forrester by seven or eight points, so there isn't a doubt in my mind that this latest poll is accurate," said independent pollster John Zogby.

The Forrester campaign yesterday said the poll shows that Democratic corruption and scandal was a major factor in the race, as well as property taxes, issues that Mr. Forrester has been hitting hard in his campaign ads.

"These polls are tracking our internal polls. It's corruption, it's property taxes, it's Jon Corzine's connection to our former disgraced Governor Jim McGreevey and former disgraced Senator Bob Torricelli," said Sherry Sylvester, the Forrester campaign's communications director.

This is not good news for the Democrats that voters don't trust them as much. This could be the political shocker of the year," Mr. Zogby said.

You have to get a kick out of the Corzine campaign spin on the candidate’s freefall in the polls:

There's strong evidence that Jon Corzine's popularity is improving as the campaign continues." The campaign attacked Mr. Forrester for displaying a "negative and pessimistic attitude" about New Jersey.

The latest evidence that the race was dead even followed a recent Quinnipiac poll showing Mr. Corzine's once seemingly insurmountable lead had evaporated, putting him just four points ahead of his Republican rival.