Poll: Dewey boosts his following in New Jersey
Latest test gives him 55%; Willkie second with 21%
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion
Governor Thomas E. Dewey’s Republican following in New Jersey has increased substantially in the last two months, a poll just completed there reveals.
Today he has a sizable lead over his nearest rival, Wendell Willkie. Mr. Dewey’s strength among New Jersey Republican voters stands now at 55%, as compared to 39% in December.
Mr. Willkie is second choice, with 21%, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur third, with 16%.
These are the highlights of the poll in which the Institute asked GOP voters to select their choice for the Republican presidential nomination from a list containing names most frequently mentioned by political commentators.
Here is the GOP box score in New Jersey, as of today, compared with the results of the December survey:
| December 1943 | Today | |
|---|---|---|
| Dewey | 39% | 55% |
| Willkie | 30% | 21% |
| MacArthur | 17% | 16% |
| Stassen | 3% | 4% |
| Bricker | 4% | 3% |
Mr. Dewey is more popular among New Jersey GOP voters than he is among Republican voters throughout the entire country. His national vote as of January was 42%, compared to 23% for Mr. Willkie and 18% for Gen. MacArthur.
At the same time, Mr. Dewey’s strength in New Jersey runs about parallel to his strength among Republican voters in the Mid-Atlantic states taken as a group. In this area, his strength as measured two weeks ago was 54% of the Republican vote. In the same poll, Mr. Willkie got 21%, Gen. MacArthur 16%.