A poll (.pdf) performed by Rutgers University and the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling has Sen. Robert Menendez (D) leading Republican challenger state Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. 42% to 38% among registered voters, just outside the 3.7% margin of error.

The poll, conducted by phone between June 14 and 19, also asked New Jersey voters about their attitudes toward President Bush. Only 31% of respondents approved of the job he was doing, while 62% disapproved. This spells bad news for Keane, whom voters are increasingly associating with the president. Fifty percent made such an association, up from 43% in March.

Menendez also had a significant advantage in public opinion on six issues presented in the poll: Iraq, education, health care, the economy, Social Security, and alternative energy. Keane leads his opponent on government ethics, and neither has an advantage on immigration.