NEW JERSEY – The choice was hardly an inspirational one for many New Jersey voters: Fifty-four percent expressed an unfavorable opinion of Corzine overall, 48 percent held a negative view of Christie and 52 percent said the same of independent candidate Chris Daggett.
Notable was that the extent to which Christie's support was chiefly an anti-Corzine vote. Forty-two percent of the Republican's supporters said they'd cast their ballot more against his opponents than for him. Corzine's supporters were far more apt to be chiefly for him (75 percent) than against Christie or Daggett (21 percent).
Daggett did not appear to have played a spoiler's role; Christie still held the advantage when voters were asked whom they'd have supported if Daggett had not been in the race.
About a third of New Jersey voters cited the economy as the top issue in their vote, followed by property taxes, selected by about a quarter. As noted, in contrast with the Virginia result, it was Corzine who won economy voters by a broad margin, 58-36 percent. But Christie won tax-focused voters, 67-25 percent.
Having run on an anti-corruption platform, Christie won the two in 10 voters who called corruption in government their top issue by 68-25 percent. Nearly as many, though, called health care their most important issue, and they went by 78-19 percent for Corzine.
Nearly half in New Jersey, 47 percent, said government is "doing too many things," while 49 percent said it "should do more to solve problems." It was a 52-43 percent division in Virginia, tilted toward the view government is doing too much.
Voters in Virginia who said government was doing too much favored McDonnell by a 72-point margin; in New Jersey they went for Christie by 79-15 percent. Their opposites broadly favored the Democratic candidates – but not by enough to tip the balance.
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
