A Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll found that only 9 percent of voters say they would be very likely to vote for Rivera and just 17 percent say they would be somewhat likely to should he choose to run.

Conversely, a majority 65 percent of voters say they would not be likely to support Rivera,  including 51 percent who say they would not vote for him at all.

The Fox News personality made waves after announcing on his radio show that he was seriously considering a Senate run.

RELATED: Geraldo Rivera says he may run for U.S. Senate in New Jersey

“Fasten your seat belt,” he told his audience. “I am and have been in touch with some people in the Republican Party in New Jersey. I am truly contemplating running for Senate against Frank Lautenberg or Cory Booker in New Jersey.”

“I figure, at my age, if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do it,” Rivera added.

In politics time moves quickly and on Thursday longtime incumbent Senator Lautenberg, 89, announced that he intends to retire.

“I will be traveling to my hometown of Paterson tomorrow to announce that I will not seek re-election in 2014,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “This is not the end of anything, but rather the beginning of a two-year mission to pass new gun safety laws, protect children from toxic chemicals, and create more opportunities for working families in New Jersey.”

But if the poll is any indication, Lautenberg’s departure will only help Newark Mayor Booker, and not Rivera, who lacks popularity even among Republican voters in New Jersey.

RELATED: Firestorm as Geraldo Rivera says Trayvon Martin’s hoodie responsible for his death

Even among GOP voters, just 44 percent say they would be at least somewhat likely to vote for Rivera while 48 percent would be unlikely.

About half of New Jersey voters have formed an opinion of Rivera, and it is evenly divided – 26 percent have a favorable view of him and 27 percent have an unfavorable view. The remaining 47 percent have no opinion.

Booker or anyone else who takes on the opinionated Rivera would have plenty of previous soundbites to use against him. After the shooting death of Trayvon Martin he said the hoodie the teen was wearing caused him to be shot by George Zimmerman. In August of last year he took to Fox and Friends to wonder aloud whether a lesbian cabal was running the Department of Homeland Security.

In his radio show announcement he said he would add nationalizing the controversial “Stop and Frisk” policy used by New York City police to his platform, should he run.

“The way you beat the whole racial profiling problem, you make it specific precinct statistics,” he said. “You can even make it block by block statistics if you want. You can have some objective criteria to beat the racial profiling constitutional problem and I’m telling you Chicago and Philly and the other cities can do what New York did dramatically cutting homicides.”

RELATED: Geraldo Rivera wonders if lesbian cabal is in charge of the Department of Homeland Security

“Fasten your seat belt,” he told his audience. “I am and have been in touch with some people in the Republican Party in New Jersey. I am truly contemplating running for Senate against Frank Lautenberg or Cory Booker in New Jersey.”

“I figure, at my age, if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do it,” Rivera added.

RELATED: Firestorm as Geraldo Rivera says Trayvon Martin’s hoodie responsible for his death

Rivera also announced that he would seek to add nationalizing New York City’s controversial “stop and frisk” police practice to his platform should he run.

“The way you beat the whole racial profiling problem, you make it specific precinct statistics,” he said. “You can even make it block by block statistics if you want. You can have some objective criteria to beat the racial profiling constitutional problem and I’m telling you Chicago and Philly and the other cities can do what New York did dramatically cutting homicides.”

Rivera was talking to his audience and Fox News contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano, who praised Rivera, and said he would do everything in his power to help him win the seat because Geraldo is “a rare understander of the nature of human freedom and the role of government in our lives,” he said, adding, “I welcome this as a great gift at this stage in my life.”

Rivera’s eventual opponent would have plenty of sound bites to use against Rivera, who has come under fire for controversial comments. After the shooting death of Trayvon Martin he said the hoodie the teen was wearing caused him to be shot by George Zimmerman.

“I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters, particularly, to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera said. “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

His hoodie killed Trayvon Martin as surely as George Zimmerman.—
Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 23, 2012

Whatever New Jersey voters think of the possibility of “Senator Geraldo Rivera,” they will find out soon if it will be a possibility. Rivera says he has no interest in drawing it out and will make his decision soon.

RELATED: Geraldo Rivera wonders if “lesbian cabal” is running the Department of Homeland Security

Given the growth of the Hispanic population and our importance in this election cycle, it is understandable that Rivera, Falco, and NAHJ would like to see a Latino asking questions of the candidates. Yet the Commission showed sound judgment in its choices. Crowley, Lehrer, Schieffer, and Raddatz are all eminently qualified to be moderators.  They are trusted, respected, and highly intelligent journalists – and that’s what should matter most to voters.

Univision was misguided in seeking a separate event for Latino issues.  Aside from their corporate self-interest, it simply does not make good sense.  Only one in five registered Latino voters say Spanish is their dominant language, according to a 2011 poll by the Pew Center, while a majority of Hispanics speak English.  We don’t need to remove our concerns from the mainstream media; we need to show that Hispanic issues are American issues.  Nor should we make it easier for candidates to say one thing to Latinos, and another to a wider audience.  So segregating ourselves is not a good approach.

Having a Latino moderator for diversity’s sake is a good idea in theory, but not in practice.  If the Commission selected a Hispanic, then what about African-Americans? What about Asian-Americans, and the gay and lesbian community? It would be unfair to allow one group “representation” and not another. Insisting upon diversity among the moderators diverts focus from where it should be: the candidates. The best solution is to find moderators capable of representing all Americans, with integrity, fairness, and intellect – which is exactly what the Commission has done.

In not selecting a Hispanic moderator, it is doubtful the Commission acted with discriminatory or exclusionary intent. Any established status quo takes a long time to change, and it is only recently that Hispanic issues have merited serious attention from the parties and candidates.  This is partly our own fault, as Latino civic participation continues to lag behind other demographics. Pew reports that 31 percent of eligible Latino voters turned out at the polls in 2010, well behind the figures for African-American voters (44 percent) and white voters (48 percent). But once Latinos start voting in proportion to our soaring numbers, we will be impossible to ignore.

Incidentally, consider the way that two women came to be included as moderators. No woman had been the sole moderator of a presidential debate in twenty years. Then this summer, three high school students in Montclair, New Jersey, started an online petition asking the Commission to name a female moderator. Their campaign went viral, sparked a national conversation, and culminated in the selection of Crowley and Raddatz.  This grassroots effort by these teenagers should be a lesson to all of us. They made themselves heard; they got results.

True, there are issues facing the Hispanic community – like racial profiling, voter suppression, and our educational attainment gap – that could be highlighted by a Latino moderator. There are also Hispanic journalists who could handle the assignment, such as Jose Diaz-Balart, who already took part in a September 2011 NBC/Politico Republican presidential candidates debate. And if you want a Latina, there is Maria Elena Salinas, or Soledad O’Brien. Still, the best litmus test for a moderator should be whether they are an outstanding journalist, not their ethnicity or background.

Despite the criticism over their lack of diversity, no one is saying that the Commission’s moderators are not up for the job. The day will come when having a Latino leading a presidential debate is a non-event. Until then, voters need the most experienced, qualified moderators available ­– not affirmative action for elite Hispanic journalists.

Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and member of the USA Today Board of Contributors.

During a segment of “Fox and Friends,” Rivera waded into the issue of a top aide to Secretary Janet Napolitano taking leave amid charges of sexual harassment and anti-male discrimination.

“I have a question, is this subtext of the Department of Homeland Security scandal — that there is some kind of lesbian cabal, that it’s a same-sex takeover of the big agencies?” Geraldo offered, as the hosts looked at each other and laughed nervously.

“What do you think?” the hosts asked him.

“I don’t know, it seems like everyone is talking around it,” Geraldo said, as he picked up steam. “Is that really what people are saying? That men are disadvantaged because women and specifically lesbians are ruling the roost there?”

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“I don’t know about that last part,” said lone female host, Gretchen Carlson.

“I mean it just seems like everyone is dancing around and kind of making these inferences,” Geraldo added.

At that point, Rivera found an ally in co-host Brian Kilmeade.

“We don’t know for sure, but it’s easy to come to that conclusion that there’s some different type of glass ceiling separating the Homeland Security Department in this case,” he said.

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Interestingly, Rivera began the top of the segment by remarking that he hadn’t been with the “Fox and Friends” crew all summer. Geraldo previously struck the match that ignited a firestorm after controversial comments about the Trayvon Martin tragic shooting.

“I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters, particularly, to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera said. “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

His hoodie killed Trayvon Martin as surely as George Zimmerman.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 23, 2012

Rivera concluded that series of comments by saying, “Unless it’s raining out or you’re at a track meet – leave the hoodie at home.”

Of course, according to Zimmerman’s 911 call, it was raining when Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

Geraldo Rivera “lesbian cabal” clip: 

“I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters, particularly, to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera said. “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

His hoodie killed Trayvon Martin as surely as George Zimmerman.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 23, 2012

Sites like the progressive Think Progress and Hispanic culture and commentary site The Latino Rebels took Rivera to task for his comments, but the most outrage could be found on Twitter, where Geraldo Rivera was trending all of Friday morning.

New York Times Op-Ed columnist Charles M. Blow tweeted, “Umm. Geraldo. Wait. What?! Nooo. Seriously?! Pump your brakes dude,” along with the Think Progress link.

Umm. Geraldo. Wait. What?! Nooo. Seriously?! Pump your brakes dude… thinkprogress.org/media/2012/03/…

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 23, 2012

Actor Wil Wheaton added, “Dear Geraldo Rivera: I’ll use small words so you can follow me, okay? Hoodies don’t kill people. Paranoid racists with guns kill people.”

Dear Geraldo Rivera: I’ll use small words so you can follow me, okay?Hoodies don’t kill people. Paranoid racists with guns kill people.

— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) March 23, 2012

During his appearance Rivera elaborated on his stance and what he thinks the first thought people have is when they see someone wearing a hoodie.

“It’s those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-11, the kid is wearing a hoodie. Every time you see a mugging…or they get the old lady in the alcove, it’s a kid wearing a hoodie…When you see a black or Latino youngster, particularly on the street, you walk to the other side of the street. You try to avoid that confrontation.”

Rivera concluded his comments by saying, “Unless it’s raining out or you’re at a track meet – leave the hoodie at home.”

According to Zimmerman’s 911 call, it was raining when Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

For the latest on the Trayvon Martin tragedy, go to TheGrio.com.