Quinnipiac: Corzine approvals continue to slip

Gov. Jon Corzine's job approval ratings continue to go down and voters are split, 44%-43%, on whether he should be re-elected in 2009, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning. Corzine has a 46%-43% approval rating, down from 49%-40% in September, and 48%-39% in July. Among New Jersey voters, 41% say they would vote for Corzine, and 31% say they would back an unnamed Republican candidate.

“Midway in his first term, voters are lukewarm about Gov. Jon Corzine and give his performance a mediocre rating. Most just think things have stayed about the same since he took over in Trenton,” said Clay Richards, the Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac polling institute.

Voters in New Jersey oppose the elimination of the death penalty by a 53%-39% margin, but prefer life without parole rather than the death penalty for people convicted of first-degree murder by a 52%-39% margin.

And by a 59%-29% margin, voters oppose the sale or lease of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway as a way of reducing the state’s debt and possibly funding tax relief. By a 74%-24% margin, New Jerseyans oppose a gas tax increase to finance road and mass transit improvements.

“Without knowing the details of the Governor’s plan to pay off the state debt, voters oppose 55 – 41 percent any plan that involves doubling tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway. And they reject 3 - 1 any alternative that involves a gas tax hike. But if forced to pick, they would prefer almost 4 - 1 paying higher tolls than paying more for gas," Richards said.