Andy Kim Leads Tammy Murphy in NJ Senate Poll [View all]

Story by Tracey Tully • 7h
Al Drago for The New York Times

New Jersey’s first lady, Tammy Murphy, has widespread institutional backing as she vies for a seat in the U.S. Senate. She is also outpacing her opponents in the race for campaign cash.

But the first independent public opinion poll in the campaign suggests she is significantly trailing her main Democratic primary opponent, Representative Andy Kim.

About 32 percent of New Jersey Democrats support Mr. Kim, a third-term congressman from South Jersey, compared with 20 percent who support Ms. Murphy, according to the survey released Friday by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

When voters were asked if they “strongly approved” of each of the candidates, Ms. Murphy, a first-time candidate, lagged Mr. Kim by 11 points. The Democratic primary is not until June, and the race is only beginning to heat up. Still, Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson professor who led the poll, said Ms. Murphy had significant ground to make up, despite name recognition that the survey showed exceeded Mr. Kim’s.

Link to story.

If you go to the link, be sure to read all the way to the end. The last paragraph tells which groups are donating to which candidates. For examples, pharmaceuticals and lawyers to Tammy Murphy, academics to Andy Kim.