Christie Opens Up Massive Lead In New Poll

If the new Quinnipiac Poll is correct, Chris Christie is headed to what may well be the biggest re-election margin any New Jersey Governor has over seen:

The odds that state Sen. Barbara Buono, the Democratic nominee for governor, will pull off an upset against the popular Republican incumbent, Gov. Chris Christie, are getting ever-slimmer , according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning .

The poll of 1,249 likely voters shows Buono trailing Christie by a stunning 34-point gap, 64 percent to 30 percent.

“There’s no silver lining for State Sen. Barbara Buono in the cloudy outlook for her campaign,” Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said.

Buono supporters had expressed hope of a revived race last month after a Monmouth University poll found Christie’s lead over Buono had shrunk to 20 points from 30 points, but since this is Quinnipiac’s first poll using a likely voter model, there are no previous comparisons.

In the poll made public today, Chrsitie holds a wide lead among both men and women. Ninety-four percent of Republicans support Christie, as do 69 percent of independents. Buono leads among Democrats 60 percent to 35 percent.

“Even a third of Democrats prefer Gov. Christopher Christie,” Carroll said. “And, although the Buono campaign and Buono’s political background are big on women’s issues, even women favor Christie.”

Among other interesting items in the poll [PDF] is the fact that Christie garners 61% of the women’s vote and 36% of the African-American vote, numbers that Republicans normally only dream about. But, of course, to the base he’s just a RINO who said nice things about President Obama last year.

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. Matt Bernius says:

    But, of course, to the base he’s just a RINO who said nice things about President Obama last year.

    This, and the fact he’s a North Eastern Republican, pretty much doom his presidential aspirations. He will have a LOT of money behind him, but I don’t think that will be near enough — especially if his opponent ends us being Ted Cruz (who really seems to be positioning himself for a run as teh realz conzervatiz).

    Christie’s future, IMHO, continues to be national chairperson (if he wants the gig).

  2. CSK says:

    I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how big the base actually is. They’re noisy, certainly, but in terms of sheer numbers…I don’t know. The dream ticket for them is Palin/Cruz, or Cruz/Palin, which isn’t going to happen in a million years.

    The thing about the base is that it has a new hero every week or so. First it was Rubio, but he stabbed them in the back with amnesty. Then it was Rand Paul, but then he said or did something (it’s hard to keep track) that enraged them. So will they get behind anyone else long enough to make him or her a factor? One thing you can count on with the base is that their saviors are always betraying them, or so they claim.

  3. James Pearce says:

    @Matt Bernius:

    This, and the fact he’s a North Eastern Republican, pretty much doom his presidential aspirations.

    Depends. The things that make Christie unpopular with the Tea Party set are the very things that a lot of other people like about him, including liberals.

    Of course, I’m biased. I’m the kind of liberal that would support Christie over Hillary (or even –gasp– Biden) any day of the week.

  4. Matt Bernius says:

    @James Pearce:

    Depends. The things that make Christie unpopular with the Tea Party set are the very things that a lot of other people like about him, including liberals.

    That might be true, but in order to get to that point, he’d need to survive the Primaries. After the disappointments of McCain and Romney (and some would argue George W.), I don’t think a Rockefeller Republican has a good chance, especially if he’s going up against a smart campaigner like Cruz who has spent a lot of time becoming the darling of the base.

  5. CSK says:

    @Matt Bernius:

    Sure, but as I’ve said, the base is extremely fickle. Cruz may well do something to alienate them in the next year or so.

  6. James Pearce says:

    @Matt Bernius:

    I don’t think a Rockefeller Republican has a good chance, especially if he’s going up against a smart campaigner like Cruz who has spent a lot of time becoming the darling of the base.

    In the abstract, sure. But Cruz has become the darling of the base mostly because he is making all the right noises. It’s not based on his record of accomplishment, which by 2016 will include –at the least– an embarrassing loss on the Obamacare front.

    By 2016, Christie will have been governor of New Jersey for almost a decade. He will be able to list off the things he actually did, rather than the things he tried to do. And it may come as a surprise to the base, but many of those things will be things they actually like.

    As we saw with Romney, the base does eventually come around * and as we saw with Palin, they don’t back losers for very long.

    * Indeed, one of the main knocks against Christie is that he is perceived to have buddied up to Obama during Sandy when he should have been fighting tooth and nail for Romney’s election.

  7. OldmanRick says:

    Please do not call this crispy cream a repugnut. Rino, definitely.