Patrick Murray

A new national poll from Monmouth University shows one in three Americans rank abortion as a top issue in deciding how they’ll vote in the 2020 election.  

Poll Director Patrick Murray says 44 percent of democrats are more likely to prioritize it compared to smaller numbers of Republicans and Independents.

Political analysts expect many of the Congressional races in New Jersey will be tight and that Democrats could gain some seats in the November election.

Seven Democrats and five Republicans now represent New Jersey in Congress.

Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray says four GOP seats could flip to Democrats.

“We’re looking at a strong anti-Trump environment.  Trump is not popular across the state. Some of the Republican initiatives such as the tax plan are particularly unpopular in New Jersey.”

Incumbent U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey won his primary election contest Tuesday but his little-known opponent Lisa McCormick  got a surprising 39 percent of the vote from Democrats.

Political analysts say despite his poor performance, Menendez is likely to win reelection in November. 

Seton Hall public affairs professor Matthew Hale believes much of the vote for Menendez’ challenger was a protest because of his recent corruption trial that resulted in a hung jury and the charges were dropped.

A Monmouth University poll finds that most Americans are not feeling like they’re reaping the benefits from recent growth in the nation’s economy.

44 percent of those surveyed by Monmouth University say their family has been helped by the economic upturn, while the majority say they’re not benefiting from it.

Poll director Patrick Murray says the middle class aren’t doing as well as the public expected when President Trump took office last year.

Three months into his term in office, a Monmouth University poll finds New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is getting a positive rating from voters.

44 percent of New Jersey residents surveyed approve of the job Murphy is doing while 28 percent disapprove.

Poll director Patrick Murray says that’s a better rating than the previous two governors, Chris Christie and Jon Corzine, had at the same point of their terms.

A Monmouth University poll finds that three-quarters of the American public believe that the mainstream media reports fake news.

Poll director Patrick Murray says only 25 percent of those surveyed believe the term ‘fake news’ applies only to stories where the facts are wrong.

“One of the problems is fake news can be all sorts of things to people. A majority of folks said that fake news was the editorial decisions that the mainstream media made in terms of the kinds of stories they wanted to tell.”

New Jersey is joining a multi-state lawsuit against the federal government to block the inclusion of a proposed citizenship question in the 2020 census.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says asking people if they’re U.S. citizens will discourage immigrants to participate in the census.

Amol Sinha the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, says that would have negative consequences.

Just days before the election of a new Governor, a Monmouth University poll finds Democrat Phil Murphy holds a 14-point lead over Republican Kim Guadagno among likely voters in New Jersey.

Poll director Patrick Murray says that margin is the same as it was in early October.

The League of Women Voters of New Jersey says debates in several legislative districts aren’t being held this year because candidates aren’t willing to participate.

Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray says avoiding debates is a political strategy for some candidates.

“If you are running ahead, the status quo is your best friend. So you don’t want to upset that by engaging in a debate where something is out of your control.”  

Murray says incumbents might prefer to skip debates.

A Monmouth University poll finds that 51 percent of likely New Jersey voters support Democrat Phil Murphy in the race for governor while 37 percent favor Republican Kim Guadagno.

Poll director Patrick Murray says the 14-point gap is not insurmountable, but indications are Guadagno’s key proposal to reduce property taxes is not getting any traction

Even many Donald Trump supporters are taking a more moderate view about unauthorized immigration. That's the finding of a new Monmouth University poll.

Poll director Patrick Murray says support for severe policy measures of deportation or a border wall has declined since the harsh rhetoric of the presidential campaign. Republicans are mainly responsible for that shift.

A Monmouth University Poll finds Americans are divided about the impact of President Donald Trump's temperament.

Poll director Patrick Murray says 49 percent of Americans like the way Trump makes Washington politicians uncomfortable, while 52 percent believe the President’s treatment of Republicans in Congress has made it difficult to advance improvements in infrastructure and taxes.

A Monmouth University Poll finds New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's voter approval ratings remain in the cellar.

Only 15 percent of voters surveyed approve of the job Christie is doing.

Poll director Patrick Murray says photos of Christie on the beach with his family during the recent state government shutdown didn't help his public image.

Polling experts are expecting low voter turnout for today's primary election.  Patrick Murray of the Monmouth University Polling Institute estimates 600,000 voters will turn out at the polls, which would be a record low for two contested primaries.

Murray says the low voter turnout may have an impact on the outcome of the election.

Paying for health care is the primary concern of U-S families, according to a new poll.

Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray says health care costs are now creating the most anxiety for 25 percent of Americans surveyed.   

"That's a big jump from the last time we asked just a couple of years ago when health care was one of a number of issues in the top tier. It seems like concerns about paying for costs of health care right now are the things that are really driving the worries that Americans have that keep them up at night."

Governor Christie will deliver the final budget proposal of his time in office when he speaks at another joint session of the New Jersey legislature next month.

Senate Budget Committee chairman Paul Sarlo says the governor did not give many indications in his state-of-the-state speech about any new policy proposals that might be included in the budget plan.