How strong is Bob Hugin?

[UWS]

I didn’t expect Menendez to perform so badly in the senatorial polls by leading Hugin by only 4 percentage points. In addition, Hugin edged Menendez in campaign funds by $1 million. And until now, the Ontheissues website ranked Hugin as a moderate

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_New_Jersey,_2018

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Bob_Hugin.htm

So I ask you how strong is Bob Hugin?

[fridgeking]

The poll that has Menendez leading by 4 is pretty useless considering both candidates are below 30 % and there are a huge amount of undecideds. The Monmouth poll has Menendez leading by over 20 points. This race is still safe D and Hugin doesn't really have much of chance due to the national environment, even with Menendez's controversies.

[Politician]

The poll that has Menendez leading by 4 is pretty useless considering both candidates are below 30 % and there are a huge amount of undecideds. The Monmouth poll has Menendez leading by over 20 points. This race is still safe D and Hugin doesn't really have much of chance due to the national environment, even with Menendez's controversies.

[Politician]

Add onto: Hugin is not that strong a candidate, although he can self-fund.

[ON Progressive]

The poll that has Menendez leading by 4 is pretty useless considering both candidates are below 30 % and there are a huge amount of undecideds. The Monmouth poll has Menendez leading by over 20 points. This race is still safe D and Hugin doesn't really have much of chance due to the national environment, even with Menendez's controversies.

[Politician]

Hugin is the strongest Republican candidate for Senate here in over a decade, but that's not saying a ton. There's not a deep bench so I'm happy with what we got.

He will be competitive, at least. Menendez will take an absolute beating in the public and will have to drain his war chest. The best thing to come out of the race is that he will lose a lot of influence in state politics.

I expect the final result will probably be something like 53-45.

LOL No, Menendez will win by 15 points.

[SATW]

Menendez will win.

[Politician]

Menendez will win.

[Pollster]

Menendez will unfortunately win due to the national environment, though Hugin is a strong candidate by NJ GOP standards.

[LabourJersey]

Menendez will win by double digits. The national environment & strength of Democratic House candidates is going to assure him victory

[kyc0705]

the Ontheissues website ranked Hugin as a moderate

It seems more like it classifies him as a moderate because they don't have enough firm indications of his policy positions to fill out the questionnaire.

But back to your initial question, I don't watch a lot of broadcast TV, but from what I've seen and heard, Hugin's apparently been blasting the local airwaves non-stop and getting his message out. He's probably one of the more well-equipped Republicans that's run for the Senate here in quite a while, but I'm hard-pressed to see how he could actually win this thing. It's a very friendly environment for Democrats right now, and Menendez has the resources of the entire state's political establishment at his disposal.

[MT Treasurer]

Menendez would have been safe even in a Clinton midterm. NJ isn’t sending a Republican to the Senate, no matter how awful the Democrat is.

[Arkansas Yankee]

If Menendez is losing in September, won’t the Dems just replace him.  Is that not how they run things in November? In fact can’t they replace him in early October?

[Suburbia]

Menendez will unfortunately win due to the national environment, though Hugin is a strong candidate by NJ GOP standards.

This.

Menendez 55%
Hugin 42%

Menendez is probably a Senate lifer, Booker forgoes a 2020 presidential run, runs for reelection and runs for president in 2024. Hugin could run for NJ governor in 2021 and depending on Phil Murphy's economic and tax agenda, could give Murphy a competitive 2021 race.