New Poll Shows Three Way Dead Heat for Jersey City Mayor

O’Dea in Strongest Position Heading into Stretch Run, McGreevey Support Plummeting

 The race for Mayor of Jersey City is entering its final stages as a three way dead heat, according to the results of a new tracking poll conducted by nationally recognized pollster Hart Research. The poll shows that Jim McGreevey’s support has plummeted, with Bill O’Dea and James Solomon now in a statistical tie with the former governor with a significant number of voters still undecided just over two weeks out from Election Day. 

The poll shows McGreevey winning just 23% of the vote, down seven points from what he had secured in the O’Dea campaign’s previous poll conducted in August, and showing a clear trend of declining support for the ex-governor. O’Dea and Solomon are tied for second place with 20% of the vote each, putting them within the margin of error of McGreevey and making the race a true tossup. However, O’Dea has a clear advantage over Solomon with a +34% favorable rating, compared to Solomon at +25%. Additionally, when voters are told only positive information about O’Dea he surges to 43% support, positioning him to close the deal with voters. 

Mussab Ali trails the frontrunners with 12% support, followed by Joyce Watterman at 3%. 21% of voters remain undecided, creating the opportunity for additional growth for candidates whose message can connect with the voters. 

“Jersey City voters are breaking away from Jim McGreevey in huge numbers because of the numerous scandals and missteps that have defined his career,” said O’Dea campaign media strategist Phil Swibinski. “With McGreevey’s support falling off a cliff and James Solomon not gaining significant traction outside of his Downtown base, Bill O’Dea is in a position to not only make the runoff but finish in first place thanks to his clear record of getting things done for Jersey City residents and the strong grassroots campaign organization he has built over the past year which will be able to turn out our voters.” 

O’Dea’s volunteer-driven field operation has already made over 100,000 calls to Jersey City voters and knocked on over 50,000 doors, and the campaign will be deploying a massive GOTV effort combining paid and volunteer operations including help from the numerous labor unions and organizations that have endorsed Team O’Dea.