Christie Posts Leads In 2 Polls...

While this year is a relatively quiet one when it comes to electoral politics, there are two significant races coming this fall - the gubernatorial races in both New Jersey and Virginia. Tomorrow, the Republican Party holds its primary in New Jersey. The primary will see former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie face off against former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan.

Christie, who has had an enormous fundraising advantage, has led every poll taken of the race, though some have indicated that Lonegan is within striking distance. A Rasmussen Poll released today gave Christie a 46%-35% lead over Lonegan. Lonegan does best among voters aged 30-49, whereas Christie did better among younger voters and older voters. Interestingly, conservatives were divided evenly among the candidates, even though Lonegan has portrayed himself as the true conservative in the race.

A new Fairleigh Dickinson poll gave Christie a much larger lead - 54%-30% over Lonegan.

In primaries with low turnout, anything can happen, but Christie clearly has the edge. Christie would also enter the general election better positioned to face Gov. Corzine than Steve Lonegan. Not only does Christie have better name recognition and a proven ability to raise campaign funds, but his moderate image may be more acceptable to New Jersey's liberal/moderate voters.