Offshore wind is not a top voter priority, a new poll finds.
According to a poll of 616 New Jersey voters by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, just 17 percent said a candidate’s views on offshore wind energy would influence their vote a “great deal,” compared with 41 percent who said it would influence it “somewhat” and 37 percent who said it would not affect their vote.
“No matter which side of the issue voters land on, they seem to agree that it’s not a top priority,” said Hughes Center Research Director Alyssa Maurice. “The opposition to offshore wind is particularly vocal and well-organized in New Jersey, but the poll shows that for most voters this issue doesn’t move the needle much.”
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has sought to make New Jersey the center of the nation’s offshore wind industry — a push that garnered major pushback from New Jersey Republicans and some Democrats.
