New Jersey is not impressed with Trump, according to new poll

🔴 Trump's popularity is low with independent voters

🔴 Half of Latino voters are worried about deportations

🔴 Immigration policies could hurt Republicans in New Jersey's 2025 race

Despite coming within six points of turning New Jersey red in the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump is now floundering with voters in the Garden State.

The recent poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University is bad news for New Jersey Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

Some of the survey's findings aren't surprising.

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Among Democrats in New Jersey, only 5% of likely voters approve of Trump six months into his second term. And Trump gets a thumbs up from 88% of surveyed Republicans.

Trump's approval rating among New Jersey independent voters

The president's popularity has sunk among independents, with only 28% of surveyed independent likely voters approving of Trump's performance.

Far more independent voters, 58% of them, disapprove of Trump, according to the FDU poll.

That mirrors how independent voters nationally feel about Trump.

A recent Gallup poll in July found that 29% of independents approve of Trump. His median approval rating in the same group had hovered around 36% from February through June.

Trump's overall approval in New Jersey

President Trump's approval rating among likely voters in New Jersey is 37%, according to the FDU poll.

Dan Cassino, executive director of the poll, said Trump's approval is low nationally, and New Jersey isn't any better.

"Last year’s Presidential election was much closer than anyone was expecting in New Jersey. But if Trump had the opportunity to turn that into lasting support in the state, it seems to be gone now," Cassino said.

Fear of deportations drives lower approval rating

Part of Trump's popularity problem in New Jersey may be his hardline policies on immigration, and especially deportations.

More than 1 in 4 likely voters surveyed — 28% — said they feared deportations would impact themselves or their families. That number grew to 50% among Hispanic and Latino voters in New Jersey.

READ MORE: Princeton community reacts to ICE raid on local workers

And 55% of voters in the poll said Trump's administration is doing "too much" by deporting unauthorized immigrants. Only 10% said the administration was not doing enough.

Will Trump's low approval hurt Jack Ciattarelli?

It may also hurt the chances of Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump, in the upcoming governor's race.

Trump's lack of popularity in New Jersey gives ample opportunities to his opponent, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. 4th District, to hammer Ciattarelli on immigration and other issues.

Despite Trump's low approval rating in New Jersey, another recent FDU poll found Ciattarelli has recently been gaining on Sherrill.

Sherrill holds a single-digit lead, with her 45% compared to Ciattarelli's 37% among polled voters. It found that 16% of voters are undecided, with around 13 weeks to go.

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