Christie's approval rating falls to 30 percent in poll

As he nears a presidential decision, Gov. Christie's approval rating at home has fallen to 30 percent in a new Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll.

The poll, released Tuesday, found 55 percent of New Jersey registered voters disapproved of Christie. The ratings represent a drop since April, when 36 percent of voters approved and 50 percent disapproved.

Another gap grew on the question of whether voters like both the Republican governor and his policies. While 24 percent said they did, 39 percent disliked both, the widest gulf the poll has recorded. In February, 29 percent liked both Christie and his policies, and 35 percent disliked both.

Forty-two percent of voters said they liked Christie less than when he took office in 2010, while 13 percent liked him more. The poll found 41 percent of voters unchanged in their opinion.

"The good news is that none of his potential presidential opponents have emerged with a decisive lead yet," said Krista Jenkins, professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson and director of PublicMind. "The bad news is that he is the governor in a state where a sizable majority give a thumbs down to his leadership."

Jenkins noted the ratings found broad dissatisfaction with New Jersey's leadership. The poll found 24 percent of voters approved of the state Legislature, and 44 percent disapproved.

Christie's approval rating, which peaked in the 70s in the PublicMind poll following Hurricane Sandy in late 2012, dropped in the wake of the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal in January 2014. It stayed in the 40s in the PublicMind poll before sliding into the 30s earlier this year.

The governor's predecessor, Democrat Jon Corzine, left office in January 2010 with a 33 percent approval rating in the PublicMind poll and 58 percent disapproval.

The poll released Tuesday of 792 self-identified registered voters was conducted June 15-21 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.