Undecided Voters Hold Key to Senate Race in New Jersey
2006-11-02
Source: New York Times
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rss feedIt was fitting that Dave Stott - business owner, self-described political independent and keen observer of the race for the United States Senate in New Jersey - was only half-seated on his bar stool while talking about how he planned to vote on Tuesday.
Mr. Stott is an undecided voter, and his posture could be a metaphor for an electorate in which tens of thousands of voters are still unsure whether to vote for the Democratic incumbent, Senator Robert Menendez, or his Republican opponent, State Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr.
"It's very hard to distinguish between Republicans and Democrats," Mr. Stott said last week as he sat at the bar of P. J. Whelihan's, a pub and restaurant in Sewell. "My vote is going to come down to our current status in the war, homeland security, integrity." He paused and added with a smile, "Is there an alternative?"
As is often the case in New Jersey elections, which are frequently decided in the campaign's final days, a large number of voters remain undecided. And in this unexpectedly close race, that indecision could play a significant role in whether the Democrats can retake control of the Senate.
Although polls released in recent days suggest that Mr. Menendez is solidifying a slim advantage over Mr. Kean - when the numbers from the three most recent polls are averaged, Mr. Menendez receives 49 percent of the vote and Mr. Kean 43 percent - his lead is within each poll's margin of sampling error.
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