A poll just released at noon from the Eagleton Institute of Politics, of Rutgers, of New Jersey registered voters shows Governor's Chris Christies job approval and popularity plummeting. Two thirds of the 826 New Jersey adults, 757 of which were registered voters, were polled prior to the breaking of the Mayor Dawn Zimmer's allegations.
The New Jersey Star Ledger reports:
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie's popularity among New Jersey voters has plummeted in the wake of the George Washington Bridge scandal — especially among Democrats and those who travel across the bridge every day, according to a new poll.
The Rutgers-Eagleton poll, released today, shows that 46 percent of voters view the Republican governor favorably, while 43 percent have an unfavorable view two weeks after e-mails that appeared to link a Christie staff member to the bridge controversy.
That's a 19-point drop from the group's last poll in November, when 65 percent of voters saw Christie favorably just before he was re-elected in a landslide.
The poll also shows Democrats are abandoning their support of Christie, who repeatedly touted a message of bipartisanship on the campaign trail last year and bolstered his campaign with the support of dozens of Democrats. While November's poll showed that 45 percent of Democratic voters viewed him favorably, that number has fallen to 19 percent in today's survey — a 26-point drop.
The
Eagleton Institute of Politics, of Rutgers has released a fascinating 19 page breakdown that was embargoed until noon, which I quote from below the squiggle.
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/...
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WHILE MOST NJ REPUBLICANS STAND BY CHRISTIE, DEMOCRATS ABANDON HIM
Favorability and Job Ratings Drop to Pre-Sandy Levels Note: Two-thirds of this poll was completed before the recent allegations by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer that Sandy aid was withheld from her city due to her unwillingness to support Gov. Christie’s re-election.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Following a second week of revelations about “Bridgegate,” Gov. Chris Christie’s job approval and favorability ratings have dropped dramatically among New Jerseyans, with Democrats driving the decline, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. Following more than a year of strong bipartisan support, Christie’s favorability rating is now 46 percent favorable to 43 percent unfavorable, down from 65percent favorable just be fore his landslide re-election. This drop in support is led by a 26-point decline among Democrats. Voters are slightly more positive about Christie’s performance as governor, with 53 percent approving how he handles the job. But this is down 15 points since November; well below the 66 to 73 percent support Christie had enjoyed throughout the year since Superstorm Sandy.
Asked to grade the Governor, 43 percent now award Christie an A or B – down 16 points– and 29 percent assign either a D or F, compared to just 18 percent two months ago. Christie’s ratings drop is driven by a very large decline among Democrats while most Republicans – and many independents – continue t0 stand by the Governor. In November, 45 percent of Democrats were favorable, but with new challenges to Christie’s bipartisan leadership, only 19 percent of Democrats are now positive. Democratic approval of Christie’s job performance has dropped from 51 percent to 29 percent.
While noticeably down from November, Republicans are still very positive: 78 percent feel favorable, and 83 percent approve of the job Christie is doing. Independent support has also dropped some, but a majority continues to favor Christie. Christie’s ratings are noticeably lower among those who travel across the George Washington Bridge at least once a week, at 37 percent favorable. Those who use the bridge less often are more positive, with 45 percent favorable, compared to 51 percent favorable among voters who never use the bridge. His job approval follows a similar pattern for these commuters. “Other polls taken immediately after the bridge scandal broke showed relatively small effects,”noted David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll and professor of political science at Rutgers University. “But with another week of revelations, damage appears to have been done.
Rutgers appears to have released this PDF from a cell phone with a 20 character width, with hard returns, so I've cleaned this up a bit. I hope I did not introduce any errors.
If polls like this keep up it very may well affect Governor Christie's prospects of a 2016 presidential run. :-)
And remember, two thirds of this poll were already completed before the breaking of Mayor Zimmer's allegations. I can't wait to see what they would be like now, or after the 20 subpoenas which are due back February 3.
I know many here have refrained from forming any opinions about Governor Christie's many recent scandals out of deference to our proud American tradition that " a person is considered innocent until a major poll shows otherwise." Now, perhaps, people will feel more free to share their real thoughts.
Keep that popcorn warm.