Christie Continues To Hold Massive Lead Over Challenger

Chris Christie continues to look like a guy who is coasting to re-election:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s historic approval rating dipped slightly in a new poll, but the Republican continues to enjoy a huge margin over his presumptive Democratic challenger in this fall’s gubernatorial election.

Mr. Christie leads state Sen. Barbara Buono by 32-point margin, 58% to 26%, which marks a slight decline from his 35-point advantage last month, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The governor leads among Republicans voters and has support from 64% of independents in the poll. Ms. Buono, by contrast, is backed by 52% of Democrats surveyed, while 30% prefer Mr. Christie.

Maurice Carroll, director of the polling instituted, said the election could be a “sweep” for Mr. Christie.
“She’s running an energetic campaign, piling up endorsements, but state Sen. Barbara Buono, who wants to be New Jersey’s next governor, hasn’t been able to introduce herself yet to New Jersey voters,” he said.

Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed said they didn’t know enough about Ms. Buono to form an opinion of her, including 73% of Democrats.

Of those surveyed, 67% approved of Mr. Christie’s work, down from the historic high of 74% in February. The governor’s favorability soared after his handling of superstorm Sandy last year.

The only interesting question in New Jersey this year, I think, will be whether Christie’s coattails manage to make some Republican gains in the state legislature.

FILED UNDER: 2013 Election, Public Opinion Polls, US Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Gromitt Gunn says:

    Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed said they didn’t know enough about Ms. Buono to form an opinion of her, including 73% of Democrats.

    Damn, girl…

  2. Caj says:

    Chris Christie may do well as Governor as a Republican but come the election should he choose to run that will be a different story entirely. He will just spout the same old tired crap we have heard for years from all of them. So he may as well enjoy his Governorship, as President of the United States he will never be.