Christie Approval Sinks to Lowest Since 2011: Quinnipiac Poll

New Jersey voters give Governor Chris Christie his lowest net approval rating since August 2011, with 49 percent who like the job he’s doing and 47 percent who don’t, in a Quinnipiac University poll.

While the 51-year-old Republican gets negative ratings for his handling of the economy and jobs, the state budget and education, 56 percent approve of the way he’s handling the recovery from Hurricane Sandy, according to the poll released today.

Christie’s job approval has fallen from a peak of 74 percent in February 2013 even as he won a second term in Democratic-leaning New Jersey and speculation increased about a possible 2016 presidential run. His numbers declined as he became embroiled in an inquiry over possible political motivations behind traffic tie-ups at the George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest.

When voters were asked whether they regarded Christie as honest and trustworthy, 46 percent said yes, 49 percent said no. Asked if he cares about their needs and problems, 47 percent agreed, and 49 percent did not.

“The ‘Jersey Guy’ image that Governor Christie has cultivated had earned him national attention as a tough guy,” Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Hamden, Connecticut- based poll, said in a statement. “But now his neighbors are divided on whether he cares about them.”

The telephone survey of 1,148 New Jersey voters was conducted July 31-Aug. 4. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.9 percent points.