Not surprisingly, New Jersey voters are highly supportive of Governor Chris Christie’s tirade against Congress earlier this month when they failed to pass a relief bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy:
(CNN) – While House Republican leaders may not have enjoyed their verbal lashing from Gov. Chris Christie earlier this month over the delayed vote on a relief package for Superstorm Sandy, the governor’s public scolding sure found support among New Jersey voters.
A whopping 79% of Garden State voters, including 70% of Republicans, say their GOP governor was right to criticize the Washington lawmakers, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
Christie also finds himself in an excellent position for re-election:
Christie’s job approval ratings, however, have soared since the storm, as the governor has continued to receive high praise for his handling of the aftermath. In the poll, 74% of voters in the state say they approve of his work-his highest score ever in Quinnipiac polls.
Breaking it down by party, 93% of Republicans approve, while 78% of Democrats feel the same way. Those aren’t bad numbers for a governor who’s up for re-election this year and could potentially run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. The survey also shows Christie leading possible Democratic challengers in his gubernatorial run by margins of 2 to 1 or higher.
“Overwhelming support for their Jersey Guy (governor) from every group in every corner of the state translates into a sky-high approval rating matched only by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 2016 – here we come,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a release for the poll.
“First, of course, Gov. Christie has to get re-elected this year. Right now, it doesn’t look like a problem,” Carroll added.
Indeed it doesn’t.
