Trump leads Biden with 41 to 40 percent in Dem stronghold New Jersey: Coefficient poll

A recent New Jersey poll has surprising revealed that former President Donald Trump is favored slightly over President Joe Biden in the Garden State. 

The poll, conducted by Coefficient, found that 41 percent of likely voters favor Trump while only 40 percent favor Biden. Third-party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., garnered 7 percent, while 13 percent of respondents were undecided. The poll surveyed 810 likely voters just before the presidential debate on June 26 and 27. Trump’s lead was within the +/- 3.4 point margin of error.  

New Jersey, which holds 14 electoral votes, has traditionally been considered a Democratic stronghold. The state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. In the 2020 election, Biden won the state by nearly 20 percentage points. An Emerson poll from March, however, showed Biden leading Trump by only seven percentage points. 

The recent Coefficient poll suggests a broader trend of declining support for Biden, even in reliably blue states. Democratic voter confidence is notably low, especially following Biden's poor performance in the recent presidential debate.  

A CNN flash poll indicated that 67 percent of viewers felt Trump won the debate, compared to 33 percent for Biden. Prior to the debate, 45 percent of viewers had predicted a Biden victory, highlighting the perceived weakness in his performance. 

While it remains unlikely that Trump will carry New Jersey or flip a traditionally dark-blue state in the northeast, the tightness of the poll results indicates significant challenges for Biden in maintaining support in historically Democratic areas across the country. Low voter turnout for the Democratic nominee could potentially shift the electoral math to favor Trump and secure the republican a second term in the White House.