Poll: Bill Clinton Is New Jersey's Favorite President
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - In honor of President's Day, the pollsters at Monmouth University asked New Jersey residents to name their favorite president of all time.
The winner? The nation's 42nd president William Jefferson Clinton.
"At the top of the list is Bill Clinton at 21 percent. Ronald Reagan is second at 16 percent and President Obama comes in at third at 14 percent," Monmouth University polling director Patrick Murray told WCBS 880. "Rounding out the top five are Abraham Lincoln at 12 percent and John Kennedy at 9 percent."
The Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll asked New Jerseyans to name their favorite president of all who have served since 1789.
Murray notes the poll tends to skew towards presidents that were in office during respondents' lifetimes.
WEB EXTRA: Full Poll Results (pdf)
The last time the pollsters asked this question three years ago, Abraham Lincoln topped the list.
"When we asked this question three years ago, Ronald Reagan was ahead of Bill Clinton, but he's dropped down eight percent in our poll, while Abraham Lincoln has gone up by five percent. It was a clear switch between those two presidents and I think with Ronald Reagan, maybe the issue is that he needs someone to make a blockbuster movie about him," Murray told WCBS 880.
The poll also found that nearly half of New Jerseyans would like their own children to be president.
The Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll was conducted by telephone with 803 New Jersey adults from February 6 to 10, 2013. This sample has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
Do you agree with the poll results? Who is your favorite president? Sound off in the comments section below...
