Poll: Bush, elder Kean part of N.J. race

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - The outcome of the race for U.S. Senate in New Jersey may depend on how voters feel about two people who aren't running: President Bush and former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, according to a new poll.

Results of The New York Times/CBS News poll published in Friday's newspapers suggest that Tom Kean Jr., the Republican nominee, has benefited from his father's reputation, and the Democratic nominee, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, has profited from voter discontent with the president.

The poll shows the two are just about even, with Menendez leading 38 percent to 36 percent among registered voters. The telephone poll, conducted between Oct. 20 and Oct. 25, included 1,023 adults, 849 of whom were registered to vote.

The poll had a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

In general, the voters polled who support Menendez said the president and control of Congress play an important role in their decision: Fifty-eight percent described their vote as being against President Bush; 90 percent of those favoring the senator said they disapprove of the job the president is doing. Some 67 percent of those favoring Kean said they approve of the way Bush is handling his job.

When it comes to Kean, voters seemed swayed by his family history: 33 percent said the first thing that came to mind when asked about Kean was his father. No other category gained more than 10 percentage points.

But the poll also showed that, with less than two weeks to go until the November election, many people are still undecided. Thirty-nine percent said they could change their minds before Nov. 7.