New Jersey Republican Keene and Democratic challenger Altman in tight House race

A first-term Republican incumbent is in a close race to retain his seat in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District in the battleground U.S. House of Representatives, according to a new poll.

Congressman Tom Keene, Jr. (RN.J.) maintains strong positions among voters on several key issues, including economic growth and jobs, crime, immigration, and inflation. But when it comes to abortion and reproductive policy, Democratic challenger Sue Altman, a former leader of the state's progressive Working Families Alliance, has the biggest lead when it comes to abortion and reproductive policy, according to a new Monmouth University poll released Tuesday. It is said to have an advantage.

The poll found that 47% of voters trust Mr. Keene on economic growth and jobs, compared to 38% who support Mr. Altman. 47% trust the Republican incumbent to handle crime, and 38% trust the Democratic challenger. On immigration, 40% of voters trust Altman compared to 33% who trust Keene; on inflation, 41% of voters trust the Republican more than Keene, compared to 37% who trust Altman. I support Mr.

The poll found that 47% trust Altman on abortion and reproductive policy, compared to just 27% who trust Keene. Despite the large advantage, only one in four voters say abortion and reproductive policy are the most important issue when deciding who to vote for among the six candidates for a U.S. House of Representatives seat. people, or only 26%. In the poll, 28% cited inflation as the most important issue, 19% cited immigration and 16% cited economic growth.

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New Jersey's 7th Congressional District is one of several seats surrounding New York City that could determine who controls the House. The Republican incumbent, who won in 2022, is currently fighting for a second term.

The district leans Republican, according to Fox News power rankings.

“Mr. Altman's advantage on abortion far exceeds Mr. Keene's advantage on other issues,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Public Opinion Research Institute, said in a statement. It's just a department,” he said. “The other part is how many voters are actually motivated by this issue.”

The poll found that 46% of voters in the district supported Keene, with 31% of respondents saying they would definitely vote and 15% saying they would probably vote for the Republican incumbent. By comparison, 44% support Mr. Altman, with 32% saying they definitely support him and 12% saying they probably would choose the Democrat.

Congressman Tom Keene Jr. (RN.J.) during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 22, 2024, during an official visit by a bipartisan Congressional delegation. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

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Both candidates have an opportunity to gain new votes in the final weeks of the campaign, as 37% of respondents in the poll said they would definitely not vote for Keene and 38% said they would definitely not vote for Altman. be.

“While each candidate may have the same level of support at the moment, there is plenty of room for one of them to drop out,” Murray said. “There are a significant number of undecided votes, and the ceiling on potential vote share for both candidates is relatively high.”

Sue Altman attends the Green New Deal Network Day of Action rally on August 19, 2021 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Dave Kotinski/Getty Images, Green New Deal Network)

Among voters surveyed, 49% considered Mr. Keene to be in sync with district residents, while 33% thought Mr. Keene was out of touch. As for Ms. Altman, 35% think she is aligned with the district, while 43% think she is out of sync.

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“Which message really motivates your base? Altman's overall advantage on abortion keeps her competitive. But Keene's ability to attract voters without a college degree Murray argues that Altman is doing well among minority voters in this district. “However, this year there has been a general lack of willingness to go out and vote, and on top of that, it has not received much attention.” A disagreement between two House candidates on the issues that matter most to them. ”