Mikie Sherrill is less popular in South Jersey than she is in the rest of the state, new poll finds

New Jersey residents generally support how Gov. Mikie Sherrill handled the sexual harassment investigation into her lieutenant governor, which led to his resignation last week, a Rutgers University poll found.

The overall approval rating for the first-term Democratic governor also remains steady eight months into her tenure, the poll said.

The poll found 44% of New Jerseyans approve of the way Sherrill is handling her job, 34% disapprove, and 22% are unsure. The poll was conducted from Sept. 24 through 27, a period covering the investigation’s release and former Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell’s resignation.

South Jersey residents were less supportive of Sherrill, however, with 33% approving of her performance, 47% disapproving, and 21% unsure.

“Gov. Sherrill’s approval numbers look much like they did at 100 days, which in this political climate — and after a challenging summer — is itself an accomplishment,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

”She continues to draw more positive reactions than negative ones, and more New Jerseyans have formed an impression of her than had of Phil Murphy at this same point in his first term," Koning said. “But a quarter of residents still have no opinion of her almost a year in, and how those New Jerseyans eventually break will decide whether her net positive ratings hold.”

Stephen Sigmund, a spokesperson for Sherrill, said the poll reflects how the governor has approached the job.

“Since day one, Gov. Sherrill has been taking action to drive down costs, build a stronger future for our kids, make Trenton more accountable, and stand up to Donald Trump’s attacks on our state. That work is resonating with New Jerseyans, and her focus will always be on delivering for them,” Sigmund said.

The pollster asked participants to evaluate how well she had handled the independent investigation into claims that Caldwell used his job to meet women.

The center had to adjust the question to reflect Caldwell’s resignation last Friday, but there was no statistically significant difference in how people responded. The poll found 68% saying she handled the situation “very well” or “somewhat well,” 14% “not very well” or “not well” at all, and 19% were unsure, the poll said.

Sherrill released the independent counsel’s report, which corroborated allegations of sexual harassment, last Thursday. Caldwell resigned the following day. He and his attorney, Thomas Calcagni, denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation flawed.

“She brought in an outside investigator and then called publicly for her own lieutenant governor to resign, and most residents read that as accountability rather than protecting her own or politics as usual,” Koning said.

The governor released a 61-page report from a monthlong investigation conducted by an outside law firm late Thursday afternoon. The report said Caldwell had made inappropriate comments to women and violated ethics rules. Caldwell, a minister, is the former president of Centenary University.

According to the report, Caldwell made a “romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend.” When she turned him down, Caldwell told the staffer that ambitious women like her and her friend needed a man in his position to help them “but you young women are looking for young sperm,” according to the report.

Although Sherrill’s marks are favorable, participants were less optimistic on the direction of the state, with 43% saying New Jersey was on the wrong track, 37% on the right track, and 20% unsure.

The poll also asked residents their opinion on President Donald Trump. He remained overwhelmingly unpopular in New Jersey, with 24% saying they had a favorable impression of him, 66% unfavorable, and 10% no opinion.

In South Jersey, 60% of residents had an unfavorable opinion, 30% had a favorable opinion, and 10% had no opinion. The poll defined South Jersey as Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May Counties.

The results are based on a survey of 1,004 adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.