A new poll released by Quinnipiac on Wednesday shows that embattled Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s approval rating continues to go down in his home state in the wake of federal criminal investigations into Bridgegate. The results of the poll show that 49% of New Jersey residents approve of the way Christie is handling his job. This compares to 44% who disapprove of the Governor’s performance. While this still places him in a net positive, it is his lowest rating since before Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012.
For the sake of comparison, Christie’s job approval rating was 55% in January 2014 and nearly 70% last summer. Therefore, he’s seen his approval rating drop by 20 points in less than a year. That isn’t the only bad news that this poll shows, either. Overall, less and less New Jersey voters see Christie as a leader and more are referring to him as a bully. 48% of voters in the state said they see the Governor as more of a bully than a leader. This is up eight points from January.
When it comes to Bridgegate, New Jersey voters are clearly not on the Governor’s side anymore. A majority of voters (51%) now feel that Christie was aware that his aides were causing traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge. This is up 11 points from January. Also, 56% of the state’s voters feel that the investigation spearheaded by Christie’s office clearing the Governor of any wrongdoing is a ‘whitewash.’ Only 36% feel that the lawyers conducted a legitimate investigation.
All of this now leads to Christie’s own state’s residents rejecting him ahead of the 2016 Presidential election. More people in the state now feel he isn’t trustworthy or honest. In this poll, only 43% said that Christie is trustworthy, while 50% stated that he isn’t. This is a reversal from January, where the results were 51-41. At the same time, a majority of New Jerseyans (52%) do not want Christie to run for President in 2016. Even more (57%) feel he will not make a good President.
Christie’s reputation on a national scale had already been decimated by his scandals over the past few months. However, he is now seeing his own state reject him. Christie has long had ambitions for the White House. At this point, he’ll be lucky to finish out his term as New Jersey Governor.
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