New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has enjoyed meteoric popularity in his home state since Hurricane Sandy, a new poll out today reveals.
The Quinnipiac University poll finds Christie, with a 74 percent approval rating, tied with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) as most popular out of all states surveyed.
Seventy-nine percent responded that Christie was right to criticize congressional Republicans for delaying a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief. Seventy percent of Republicans polled felt that way.
Christie’s approval is 93-4 percent among Republicans, 56-37 percent among Democrats and 78-18 percent among independent voters. Men approve 79-18 percent while women approve 69-24 percent.
The governor deserves reelection, voters say 68 – 24 percent, with Democrats at 47 – 43 percent. Christie leads possible Democratic challengers by margins of 2-1 or higher; in hypothetical matchups, Christie takes 30 to 35 percent of the Democratic vote.
“2016 – here we come,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “First, of course, Gov. Christie has to get reelected this year. Right now, it doesn’t look like a problem.”
The poll of New Jersey voters also found that they want 89-year-old Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who celebrates his birthday today, to retire.
Looking forward to the 2014 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Newark Mayor Cory Booker leads Lautenberg 51 – 30 percent.
Lautenberg gets a 50 percent approval rating, but 45 percent say he shouldn’t be re-elected.
“Nothing but positive scores for Newark Mayor Cory Booker. U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg gets an OK job-approval rating and favorability, but voters don’t think he should seek six more years in the Senate,” Carroll said.
That’s good. I much prefer Gov. Christie over a Leftist.
But I trust his career path no further…and Christie would never receive my vote for a Republican nominee of higher office.
I sense a future Charlie Crist in the making.
Christie is a non-starter as a Presidential nominee. He gave Obama a critical photo-op/boost just before the last election, and has been absolutely terrible on guns. With any luck, Romney was the last Northeastern RINO the Repubs will trot out to lose the base and the election.
Amen, Cousin Dean! I keep having this re-occuring nightmare that in a little more than two years Ann Coulter and the NRO gang will be singing Christie’s praises and telling us that Christie is the only person who can defeat (fill in the blank). I wake up screaming “Make it stop!!!”
I held my nose and I voted for Romney. I won’t waste my vote on another RINO four years from now. Either the party grows a set or I’m ending a nearly forty year tradition and will vote Libertarian from now on. I don’t agree with the Libertarians on every point but I agree with them enough of the time and at least they stick to their principles.
Christie had to do what he did to save New Jersey. He had to come out, fight the corruption, the spending, etc. If he didn’t the state would have collapsed. However, is Christie a conservative? I don’t think so. Is he a Republican? Probably in name only (or maybe a Big Government Republican, given his attitude toward the pork-filled relief bill). If he is nominated for GOP President I won’t vote for him. Will he be better than Obama? Better than Biden? Yes and yes. Will he be good for the country? I doubt it (won’t be worse but I can’t see being better).
Christie is a good as we will get here in NJ. But I would prefer to see an actual conservative nominated for President.
Of course Christie is popular in NJ – he’s out-democrating the democrats.
On a more serious note, I get that a true strict constitutionalist minded conservative who leans to the political right hasn’t got a snowballs chance of winning in NJ – I just wish the pundits would stop apparently trying to shove him off on the rest of us as the next “only electable candidate” for the republicans to run in 2016.
No.
Not in 2016.
Not ever.