NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—A recent poll by the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics showed that 54% of New Jersey voters polled disapprove of the overall job Governor Chris Christie is doing, compared to 41% who approve of his performance.

In February, the Governor had a 42% approval rating, the same rating as he had in October 2014.

The survey points out that approval of Governor Christie’s job on Hurricane Sandy dropped below 50% of New Jersey voters for its first time.  

For taxes, his approval rating is 26%, for the state budget it is a 28% approval rating, and for the overall state economy, Christie’s earned the approval of 37% of NJ voters. 

On average, the Governor’s approval rating among New Jersey voters has been around 48%.

“Often as the economy improves, voters feel more positive,” says David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Polling Institute, “But in this state there is now widespread feeling that things are on the wrong track.”

“While the governor continues to explore a national run, voters back home are expressing more and more concern about what’s happening in New Jersey and the governor’s performance in dealing with these issues.”

Another poll, released by Monmouth University on April 6, showed even worse numbers for Christie.

Among Republicans nationwide, 33% said they had a favorable view of Christie, down three points from December.  Another 42% had an unfavorable view, and 25% had no opinion. 

The Monmouth poll also showed Governor Christie coming in near the bottom of the field in a hypothetical presidential primary against 17 prominent Republican figures, losing even to businessman Donald Trump.

The poll showed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush winning with 13% of those polled, followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker with 11% each.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came in third place with 9%, followed by Trump with 7%, and Dr. Ben Carson also with 7%. 

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who had declared his presidential candidacy earlier this week, won over 6% of respondents in the hypotethical poll.  Governor Christie was tied for last place, with 5%, along with Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Six other candidates did not register higher than 1% support in the poll.

Christie has continued to face increasing opposition from the public.

At a town hall meeting on April 7 in the Old Bridge High School, Governor Christie was met with protestors from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

The roughly 100 protestors held up signs with slogans like, “Fund the Pension” and “Follow the Law: Our Pension, Our Future.” 

“We just want [Christie] to fund the system,” Ramona Brown, a part-time school teacher at New Brunswick’s Lord Stirling Elementary School told PolitickerNJ.  “This is something we have looked forward to since the time we’ve been in education. We want what’s fair.”

A week earlier at a town hall in Kenilworth, a protest erupted with activists calling for Christie to be arrested, and an attendee asked Christie about a controversial settlement with the oil and gas company ExxonMobil.

Outside, protestors held up signs and chanted, many of them unable to gain access to the overcrowded gymnasium at the Harding Elementary School.

Christie has also faced criticism for his decision to support other Republican governors nationwide in an attempt to strike down President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration.

“When he signed that brief, he wasn’t thinking about good policy for New Jersey,” Johanna Calle, program coordinator of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, told PolitickerNJ.

“He was thinking about a policy platform that would help him run for President.”

Reporter at New Brunswick Today

Award-winning, multimedia journalist with experience in digital first and print-media. Daniel has covered local, state and regional issues, and utilized photography, social media and has written in-depth articles to produce high-quality work.

Award-winning, multimedia journalist with experience in digital first and print-media. Daniel has covered local, state and regional issues, and utilized photography, social media and has written in-depth articles to produce high-quality work.