Michael Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a 70%-22% approval rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.  Governor Jon Corzine had an upside-down 37%-52% approval rating in the most recent Quinnipiac poll of New Jersey voters.

David Paterson has been Governor of New York since Monday and voters already like him: he has a 46%-3% approval rating, and 65% of voters already know who he is, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released early this morning. Three-fourths of New York voters (75%) say he will govern effectively and 67% expect that he’ll restore trust in state government. The pollster said that revelations of his extramarital affairs caused voter attitudes about Paterson to shift slightly during the last night of the survey.

“Gov. David Paterson begins with good wishes. By big margins, New Yorkers think he’ll restore public trust – boy, can Albany use that – and be able to govern effectively,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Governor Jon Corzine can deal with his own sagging approval ratings – his numbers are much better than New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was upside-down at a 37%-51% approval rating in 2004 and turned around to win re-election with relative ease in 2005.  His bigger problem is coming up over the next few months: Democratic legislators will be even less likely to support his toll hike plan now that they realize more than seven out of ten New Jersey voters oppose it.

In Journal square, four men say thumbs up to Clinton over Obama, but like the latter as vice president.

Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman will be among a small group of Democrats and Republicans who will attend a January 7 meeting in Oklahoma with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that could result in a third party presidential candidate. 

According to a Washington Post report, the bi-partisan group will be “prepared to back Bloomberg or someone else” if the major party candidates “do not pledge to go beyond tokenism in building an administration that seeks national consensus.” 

Whitman's involvement in this effort could impact the campaign of her daughter, Kate Whitman, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the 7th district.