Clinton on top

Clinton tops Sanders, Trump in New Jersey poll

By Nick Gass

Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by double digits among likely voters in New Jersey’s Democratic primary, according to the results of the latest Quinnipiac University poll out Thursday. Matched against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, both Democratic candidates came out on top, but Sanders leads by a wider margin.

Those likely to vote in the state’s June 7 primary preferred Clinton to Sanders, 54 percent to 40 percent, with 6 percent undecided. Just 15 percent said they could change their mind, while 84 percent said they are firmly committed.

Sanders leads Clinton among those describing themselves as very liberal (52 percent to 48 percent), among those 44 years of age and younger (66 percent to 33 percent) and among men (49 percent to 45 percent).

In her general election matchup with Trump, Clinton leads 45 percent to 38 percent, with women, younger voters and college graduates indicating a stronger preference toward the former secretary of state.

The gender gap between Trump and Clinton is on full display in the New Jersey poll, as 46 percent to 36 percent of men said they would vote for Trump and 53 percent of women said they preferred Clinton to 32 percent who would prefer the presumptive Republican nominee.

Sanders’ advantage over Trump is five points wider than Clinton’s, at 49 percent to 37 percent. The Vermont senator commands a 14-point advantage (50 percent to 36 percent) among independents against Trump, while Clinton’s lead among that group is a mere 2 points, close to the margin of error (41 percent to 39 percent).

While 47 percent of those between the ages of 18 to 34 said they would vote for Clinton over Trump, 27 percent said they would go for Trump and another 13 percent said they would not vote. With Sanders as the Democratic nominee, 65 percent said they would support him over Trump, who took 22 percent. Only 5 percent in that group (and overall) said they would not vote in a Sanders-Trump general election.

Echoing long-running trends, Sanders was also the only candidate of the three to earn a net positive approval rating, with 48 percent holding a favorable opinion of him and 35 percent not.

Clinton’s net rating is -18 points (38 percent to 56 percent), while Trump’s image in the state neighboring his native New York is -23 points (35 percent to 58 percent).

Quinnipiac conducted the survey from May 10-16 via landlines and cellphones, surveying 1,989 registered voters in the state with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. Among the 696 likely Democratic primary voters, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.