Leading N.J. gov race: Murphy, Guadagno, 'someone else'

Former Goldman Sachs executive Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno are the leading contenders for their respective parties' nomination in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, a new poll found.

Seventeen percent of registered Democrats support Murphy -- tying the former investment banker and ambassador to Germany with those who simply picked "someone else," according to a Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll released Thursday.

On the Republican side, Guadagno wins support of 18 percent of registered voters. The comedian Joe Piscopo, who has only indicated interest in a  candidacy, is polling at 12 percent, behind "someone else" at 13 percent.

"Although Guadagno is leading the field, the fact that an as-yet-undeclared candidate with no political experience is not too far behind is sure to garner attention," said Krista Jenkins, poll director and political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Half of registered voters of both parties say they don't know who they support, the poll found.

Trailing Murphy on the Democratic side are State Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (7 percent), Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (6 percent), and former U.S. Treasury official Jim Johnson (2 percent), according to the poll.

In addition to Guadagno, other declared candidates seeking the GOP nomination include Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and Steve Rogers, a commissioner in Nutley Township, Essex County, who each picked up 2 percent.