Voters Prefer Van Drew In Race For LoBiondo's Seat, Poll Finds

Voters in the Second Congressional District seem to prefer Democrat Jeff Van Drew in the race to Rep. Frank LoBiondo in the Nov. 6 elections.

Fifty-five percent of those who responded to a recent Stockton University poll said they prefer Van Drew. That’s 23 percentage points ahead of Republican Seth Grossman, who had 32 percent of the vote.

Libertarian John Ordille and independent candidates Steven Fenichel, Anthony Parisi Sanchez and William Benfer each registered one percent support in the poll, the results of which were released on Wednesday.

The Second Congressional District includes Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, and parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Van Drew, a state senator representing all or parts of three counties in the district, is viewed favorably by 49 percent and negatively by 11 percent. Forty percent are not familiar with him.

In the State Senate, Van Drew represents Cape May and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties.
Grossman at this point is largely unknown across the sprawling South Jersey district, with 60 percent unfamiliar with the former Atlantic City councilman and Atlantic County freeholder. Grossman is viewed favorably by 20 percent and unfavorably by 20 percent.

Grossman has campaigned as an ally of President Donald Trump, who won the district by 5 percentage points in 2016. However, only 41 percent currently think Trump is doing a good or excellent job as president, with 49 percent grading him as poor and 10 percent as fair, according to the poll of 535 likely voters.

The Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University interviewed 535 adult residents of the Second Congressional District who were screened as likely voters. Live interviewers working from the Stockton campus called landline and cell phones from Sept. 12-18, 2018. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.2 percentage points.

Van Drew is doing better among his Democratic base (88 percent) than his opponent is among Republicans (65 percent), according to the poll. Additionally, the Democrat is attracting support from 17 percent of Republicans, compared to 2 percent of Democrats who support Grossman. Forty-nine percent of unaffiliated/independent voters support Van Drew, while 24 percent support Grossman.

See related: National GOP Pulls Endorsement For NJ Congressional Candidate

Eight percent identified health care or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the top issue, and 75 percent say it is a significant or extremely important factor in deciding how to vote. Forty-six percent oppose the president’s moves to weaken Obamacare, while 30 percent support such moves. A strong 72 percent say the ACA rule requiring coverage of pre-existing conditions should remain in effect, while 13 percent want it eliminated and 11 percent say it doesn’t matter.

Van Drew was criticized by Democratic primary opponents for voting against gun control measures in 2013. Among the 78 percent of district likely voters who find gun policy to be a major factor in their vote, a majority of 66 percent favor making gun laws stricter, including 89 percent of Democrats. Fourteen percent (but 40 percent of Republicans) want to loosen gun control laws, and 18 percent want no change.

See related: Parkland Shooting Survivor Targets Politician In Ocean City Area

In June, Grossman was reported as criticizing diversity as “un-American.” In the Stockton Poll, 61 percent say racial and ethnic diversity has a positive effect on society. Nineteen percent say it has a negative effect and 14 percent say it does not affect society either way.

See related: Diversity ‘A Bunch Of Crap’: NJ Congressional Candidate

Those polled voiced a preference for Republican Bob Hugin over Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate race. Hugin leads Menendez in the district by 10 percentage points, 46 to 36.

Menendez, who was tried last year on corruption charges that were eventually dropped, is viewed unfavorably by 56 percent.

Hugin, a former pharmaceutical company CEO, is seen favorably by 37 percent and unfavorably by 19 percent, with 41 percent of district voters unfamiliar with him.

“This looks like bad news for Senator Menendez and good news for Bob Hugin, but keep in mind that the 2nd District is more rural and more moderate than most of New Jersey,” Hughes Center Interim Executive Director Michael W. Klein said. “This is a district that sent Republican Frank LoBiondo to Congress for the last 24 years and voted for Donald Trump in 2016.”

See related:

Frank LoBiondo To Retire From Congress

Election Day 2016 Results: How Did Cape May And Atlantic Counties Vote In The Presidential Election

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