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A Rutgers-Eagleton poll finds that by a 56%-37% margin, likely voters would support a $450 million bond referendum question to fund stem cell research. Catholics support the measure by 48%-41% and evangelicals and born-again Christians do so by a similar 48%-42% margin. The breakdown is 62%-22% for Democrats, 57%-32% for independents, and Republicans are split 45%-46%.
But even among those who disagree, only a small minority do so on moral grounds. Of those opposing the referendum, 58% say the state can't afford to borrow the money while 26% say it's for moral reasons. Tim Vercellotti, director of polling at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, says "the margin favoring approval of the stem cell research bond issue is typical for recent ballot questions about state uses of public funds, despite public controversy surrounding this type of research. That some of the key constituencies expected to oppose the ballot question, such as evangelical Christians and Republican voters, are narrowly in favor or divided speaks to the strength of public support for the bond issue."
By a much larger 70%-21% margin, voters support the ballot question which would dedicate the entire penny increase in the sales tax towards property tax relief.
The poll shows a steep drop in Governor Corzine's approval rating from 57% in August to 47% today. Two thirds of voters now think there is a lot of public corruption in the state, up from 47% in August, 2004.
And while approval of the Democratic-led legislature has dropped from 37% in 2004 to 30% today, Democrats may not suffer much at the polls. By 10 points, likely voters prefer Democrats to Republicans for the Assembly (42%-32%) and Senate (44%-34%). In both cases, the split is similar to the results from 2003 (41%-32% for Assembly, 43%-33% for Senate).
Among likely voters, 28% said reducing property taxes was the top issue the next governor should address. Overtaking corruption as the #2 issue in 2005, 21% said reducing the budget crisis should be the top priority, while corruption registered a close third at 19%.
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