June Sun, 2003

POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE IN NEW JERSEY Or If Ignorance Is Bliss, We’re One Happy State

The State Senate is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. We start with these basic facts of political life in Trenton, because apparently they are preciously guarded secrets. In fact, only four percent of the state’s adult residents get all three of these answers correct when asked on the most recent Star-Ledger/Eagleton- Rutgers Poll. While two-thirds correctly identify Governor James McGreevey as a Democrat, just one-in-five know that Democrats control the lower house and a similar 18 percent know that the upper house is tied in its partisan composition.

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June Fri, 2002

ISSUES IN THE RACE FOR SENATE: National Security and Terrorism Top Voters’ List

Voters say that in this November’s election for United States Senator from New Jersey their choice will be determined more by the candidates’ positions on the issues than the candidates’ personal qualities. And at this early stage of the election, the voters’ issue agenda favors Democratic incumbent Bob Torricelli over his Republican challenger Doug Forrester. According to a new Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll, voters’ top issue concerns in this election include national security and terrorism, health care and prescription drugs, and education.

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