With the fall election only a couple of months away, a new Quinnipiac University poll finds Democratic incumbent U.S.Senator Bob Menendez has a commanding lead over Republican challenger Joe Kyrillos.

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Pollster Mickey Carroll says the survey shows “fifty to forty – Quinnipiac numbers say Menendez is ahead – and that’s a pretty good place to be if you’re Menendez.”

He says many Garden state voters think they’ve heard of Kyrillos, “but when Quinnipiac asked do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of this guy- two thirds of New Jerseyans don’t know enough to have an opinion – at this stage of the game Kyrillos is an unknown quantity, and if you don’t know a guy, it’s pretty hard to vote for him…if he had a zillion dollars and he spent it, people would get to know him, but it’s awfully close to the election to have two thirds of New Jersey not know enough about you to make a positive or negative decision…there’s no question Menendez is way ahead of Kyrillos, and the further question is that nobody knows who Kyrillos is.”

Carroll adds the poll also finds President Obama leads challenger Mitt Romney by 51 to 44 percent.

“It’s a blue state” he says, “it looks as if Jersey is going to vote blue – each candidates supporters say they’re with em – 90 percent won’t switch…the issues in New Jersey are the same issues you see nationwide – which is number one the deficit, number two is health care, number three is taxes – it doesn’t look like a contest unless something crazy happens…New Jersey voters are just plain a blue crowd – the poll says yes Obama.”

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