The Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind poll puts the Democrat ahead, 47 percent to 34 percent, among likely voters, with 16 percent undecided. The poll of 600 registered voters was conducted July 12-19 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.(...)

The new poll indicates that Forrester has all but erased his status as the lesser-known candidate. Ninety percent of those surveyed said they had heard of Forrester, a businessman and former West Windsor mayor, compared to 94 percent for Corzine, a sitting U.S. senator and former CEO of Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs. That represents a 10 percent jump in name recognition for Forrester since April.(...)

Still, only 64 percent of likely voters could name the Democratic candidate for governor without prompting, and 57 percent could name the Republican.(...)

"Corzine is showing the advantages of incumbency without yet showing any of the disadvantages," said Peter Woolley, executive director of the poll. "But his series of small advantages could dissipate as the campaigns pick up steam."

Corzine appears to have stronger support among Democrats than Forrester has with Republicans. Some 8 percent of Democrats said they'd cross over and vote Republican, while 13 percent of Republicans said they'd switch parties for the election.

More voters say they have a very favorable opinion of Corzine than Forrester, and Corzine holds a slight edge among moderates, according to the poll.

The poll also asked voters about two hypothetical pairings: Forrester would lose to acting Gov. Richard J. Codey, 57 percent to 43 percent, but would defeat former Gov. James E. McGreevey, 60 percent to 40 percent.