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Democrat Bob Menendez holds a six-point lead in the race for U.S. Senate even though more New Jersey voters like and trust Republican Tom Kean Jr., a poll by The Record found. That may be because New Jerseyans, by a wide margin, want Democrats to control Congress in January, the poll also found. "Any other political year, I think the Republicans win that seat," said pollster Del Ali of Research 2000, the Rockville, Md., firm that conducted the survey. "The only thing saving Menendez is the climate out there." Menendez led Kean 48 percent to 42 percent in the survey...

New Jersey Senate: Kean (R) and Menendez (D) Tied U.S. Senator Bob MenendezHere's another race to keep people up late on election night. All year long, the two candidates have been trading the lead position. Now, with less than two weeks to go, it’s a toss-up once again. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows Republican Tom Kean Jr. with 43% of the vote and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez with 41%. However, when we add in the leaners, it’s all tied at 45% (see crosstabs). What’s truly amazing about these numbers is the fact that Menendez can’t pull away despite the...

(October 26) The tide appears to have turned once again in this race. Kean had a nice run through mid-September and then Menendez pulled in to a 3-5 point lead in mid-October and now as we approach the end of October it looks like Kean has regained the momentum. On Sunday, we suggested that Kean needed “to turn around the momentum in this race and very soon,” and it looks like he has done just that. . . . . . . This race looks to be going down to the wire as Menendez is back below 45% in the...

One must be careful to make too much of a given Senate candidate appearing broke at the 3rd-quarter FEC filing time. After all, the national parties and major donors can rescue a strong candidate’s foundering finances. And certain costs, such as advertising, may even still have been paid up front. But when so many candidates from one party, who have been very strong, are suddenly out of cash, while the other party is cash-rich, something may be afoot. In this case, the Republicans continue to use their strategy which produced surprise wins in 2002 and 2004: They are keeping their...

Tuesday, Mark Levin discussed Tom Kean Jr's comments about Rush Limbaugh.I'm with Mark. I would rather see the Democrat win the race than a Republican who is that liberal! (Mountainside, NJ) – U.S. Senate candidate Tom Kean, Jr. released the following statement today regarding recent remarks made by Rush Limbaugh: “I categorically denounce the inappropriate and outrageous claims made by Rush Limbaugh on his radio show today. Parkinson’s is a horrible disease that ravages the human body, and to belittle someone suffering with the disease has no place in politics. I believe the science of stem cell research holds immeasurable...

Bob Menendez says sometimes you have to break the law

TUCKERTON, N.J. (AP) - For Dale Parsons, the truth about the U.S. Senate race is as hard to crack as the clams he has in his bayside seafood store. "I'm ticked off," said Parsons, a registered Republican who's not greatly impressed with either Tom Kean Jr. or Robert Menendez. "There's just so much negativity, you don't know who to believe anymore. You can't trust any of them." In interviews across the state, a common theme emerged among voters: They're sick of the mudslinging, name-calling and finger-pointing, and want to hear what the candidates will actually do for them. In a...

Watch this video to see how the Menendez machine organized a smear campaign on Tom Kean during and after the NJ Senate debate. Tell me they don't work illegally with peripheral groups!!!!!! What a sham!

Democrat vs Democrat Connecticut sees primary victor, Ned Lamont, facing off against the loser, and former Veep candidate, Joe Lieberman. Lamont is against the war, and seems to have solidified his lead among Democrats, but in the general election independents and Republicans can vote too, so Lieberman retains a small lead. Confusingly, the Republican candidate is against the war, probably why his support is in single figures. Democrats did not want this fight, as it puts Democrat divisions on national security at the top of the news, but now they are stuck with it. Tossup. Republican targets New Jersey, sees...

WASHINGTON -- New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr. on Friday called for House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign over the congressional page cybersex scandal, making him the first major candidate in his party to do so. "He is the head of that institution and this happened on his watch, and Kean urges House leaders to go further by appointing an outside panel to review the matter immediately," Kean spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said. Kean, in a tight race with Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, added...........

1. If the election for United States Senator was held today, whom would you support Robert Menendez, the Democrat or Tom Kean, Jr., the Republican? Tom Kean, Jr. 46% Robert Menendez 41% Undecided 13% 800 likely voters, September 29th-October 1st. MOE +/- 3%.

It appears the ethics investigation targeting New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez is hurting his chances to return to Washington. A new WNBC/Marist poll released on Friday shows that, if this were Election Day, Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. would defeat Menendez 42 percent to 37 percent. This is a big change from two polls taken earlier this week, where likely voters were polled, and Menendez was slightly ahead. More than half of those polled in this survey were aware of Menendez's recent troubles. The federal government is investigating his leasing of a building he owned to a non-profit agency who also...

MILLVILLE, N.J. - It wasn't supposed to be this hard for Democrat Robert Menendez. New Jersey's political history, campaign cash and national dissatisfaction with the Republican-led Congress are all in his favor as he tries to win the Senate seat he took by appointment from the governor in January. But here he is, locked in an apparent dead heat with Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr., and having to campaign in unlikely places such as a seafood festival down a gravel road in southern rural New Jersey, far from his base in the urban north. Menendez has run smack into the...

WASHINGTON - New Jersey's Senate candidates remained locked in a tie, according to a poll released Thursday that also showed confusion about the candidates among state voters. Among 404 likely voters, 45 percent preferred Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez while 44 percent backed Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr., according to the Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The error margin was plus or minus 5 percent. Among 660 registered voters, 42 percent backed Kean while 40 percent chose Menendez. This survey had an error margin of 4 percent. The survey of both likely and registered voters was conducted Sept. 24-26. The poll showed there was...

RCP leaked the premium numbers. Kean (R) 41% Menendez (D) 40%

What’s politically toxic in Campaign 2006? On the CBS Evening News Friday night, Katie Couric covered the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey, and the danger was apparently a Republican standing anywhere near Team Bush. Couric pressed Republican candidate Tom Kean Jr. about President Bush: "Would you like him to come?" The second time she asked, she giggled. She weirdly compared the Kean family to the fictional mob family in The Sopranos. (Would she ever do that to the Kennedys?) Couric ever-so-barely revealed "scandal has wracked the Democratic Party here," but gave no specifics. Newly appointed Sen. Bob Menendez is...

EVERY major poll for NJ Senate has Kean up between 3 and 6 points. This specific poll marks a turnaround from July, when Kean trailed Menendez by 1 point. It looks like we may have to think hard about putting this race into our column soon. No one can say with a straight face that the dems have the advantage, and every poll hints that it's advantage-Kean at this moment.

Preview and Analysis of the Weekend Talk Shows for 9/23 & 9/24/06The campaign to trash President Bush and beatify President Clinton gets into high gear this week.  Perhaps now we know why the Clintonistas were so frantic to kill or discredit The Path To 9/11, because it had the possibility of preempting their re-re-re-re-launch of the "Clinton Legacy" (Take 843).  This is a contest between the Bush and Clinton world views.  Bush views the world in terms of western civilization representing humanity's progress up from barbarism.  Clinton views the world in terms of America's sins and how we must be...

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. - A spokeswoman for New Jersey's Republican candidate for U.S. Senate on Thursday denied she posted negative comments about his opponent on a Democratic blog. Kean spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said she has never posted as a Democrat or posted on BlueJersey.com and never e-mailed it comments about U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. "Silly season is upon us," Hazelbaker said. "I take Menendez to task on a daily basis for his ethical failings and nonexistent record, and I will continue to do so. I don't need to hide behind an anonymous post." At a news conference in Bergen County,...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate race in New Jersey, which a Republican hasn't won in 34 years, remains virtually tied with less than two months before Election Day, a poll released Wednesday shows. Among likely voters, including those leaning toward a candidate, Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr. holds a 48-45 percent edge over Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, the Quinnipiac University poll showed. Six percent remain undecided. This survey of 688 likely voters has an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Among the 1,233 registered voters surveyed, Menendez has a 41-38 percent edge. This survey has an error margin...