Thomas Kean won re-election as governor in 1985 with 70% of the vote, carrying every municipality but Audubon, Chesilhurst, and Roosevelt, and New Jersey voters still like him: he has a 46%-9% statewide favorable rating, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.  Among voters over age 55, Kean’s favorables are at 68%-12%.  Those numbers make you wonder how the 74-year-old Kean would do in the 2012 U.S. Senate race against Robert Menendez, who had a split 41%-41% job approval rating in a Quinnipiac University poll released last month.  

Kean, who spent fourteen years as president of Drew University after leaving office and then chaired the high-profile 9/11 Commission, told PolitickerNJ.com this month that he will never seek public office again.  The former governor even ruled out a caretaker appointment to the United States Senate.

History appears to be treating former Gov. Donald DiFrancesco unkindly: a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll has DiFrancesco’s statewide favorables upside-down at 10%-18%, with the former Senate President from Union County upside-down among Republicans, 11%-22%.  DiFrancesco became Acting Governor in February 2001 after Christine Todd Whitman resigned to become EPA Administrator, and dropped his own gubernatorial campaign less than three months later after a series of newspaper stories on ethics-related matters.  DiFrancesco was at 20%-20% in a September 2006 Monmouth poll.

Whitman is also upside-down, 35%-38%, but her numbers among Republicans are fairly good: 54%-22%.  That’s not much different than former Gov. Thomas Kean, who is at 54%-13% among Republicans.

A new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll shows that time has eroded Richard Codey’s statewide favorables.  The Essex County Senator is at 34%-29% -- not bad numbers, but not as good as he once was.  In September 2006, twenty months after his departure as governor, he was at an incredibly solid 50%-16%.   A Quinnipiac University poll taken after during Codey’s final weeks as governor showed him with a 71%-10 job approval rating.  The good news for Codey is that among Democrats, he is at 38%-12%, strong enough approvals to keep him on the short list of potential 2013 gubernatorial candidates.

Thomas Kean is the most popular of New Jersey’s eight former governors with a 46%-9% favorable rating, according to a Monmouth University/ Gannett New Jersey poll released today.  Jon Corzine, who left office on January 19, has an upside-down 31%-55% favor rating.  The new governor, Christopher Christie, has favorables of 31%-17%.

“Nine living New Jerseyans can lay claim to the title of governor, but Tom Kean is clearly in a league of his own,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

State Sen. Richard Codey (D-Roseland), who served as governor from 2004 to 2006 and was recently deposed as Senate President, has a statewide favorable rating of 34%-20%.

Besides Corzine, three other former governors are upside-down: James E. McGreevey (24%-52%), Donald DiFrancesco (10%-18%), and Christine Todd Whitman (35%-8%).  Jim Florio, who was for a time one of the most unpopular governors in state history, is at 29%--27%.

“Until James McGreevey’s resignation in 2004, Jim Florio was universally viewed as the state’s least popular governor. It appears that some voters are now reappraising Florio’s pay-as-you-go approach in light of the ballooning debt and budget gimmickry that followed his tenure,” said Murray.

Another governor who struggled for voter approval at times, Brendan Byrne, is at 25%-12.

President Barack Obama remains popular in New Jersey, but residents feel that he’s done more to help Wall Street than the middle class, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett poll released this morning.

“President Obama still has a decent amount of good will in the Garden State.  But it’s important for him to turn around perceptions and focus on middle class concerns to prevent his approval rating from slipping further,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Obama’s approval rating in the Garden State is 55% positive to 36% negative – better than his national average – while his favorability rating is even better, 61% to 26%.

But only 41% of residents said that Obama achieved either a “great deal” (10%) or a “good amount” (31%) during his first year in office, compared to 57% who said he either achieved nothing (16%) or “not very much” (41%).   But 57% said they expected Obama to get more done in his second year in office.

A slight majority of New Jerseyans – 51% -- said that Obama has done a lot to benefit Wall Street bankers.  When it comes to the middle class, just 9% said he had done a lot for the socioeconomic group, while 43% said he had done a little for it.

New Jereseyans’ opinions on Congress are far less favorable.  Sixty-one percent are dissatisfied with the way things are going in Washington.  While 51% have either a great deal or good amount of confidence that Obama will “make the right decisions for the country’s future,” just 29% have that level of confidence in congressional Democrats and 24% in congressional Republicans.

Gov. Christopher Christie has an approval rating of 33% positive to 15% negative, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett poll released this morning.

A slight majority of New Jerseyans – 52% -- withheld their opinion of Christie, who has only been in office for two weeks.

The public is skeptical that Christie will be able to do anything to rein in property taxes over the next four years, but will still be upset with him if he doesn’t.  

A majority – 56% -- felt that the state was either “not too likely” or “not at all likely” to enact reforms that will significantly reduce property taxes.  Only 8% said that the prospect was “very likely,” while 34% said it was “somewhat likely.”  Nevertheless, if property taxes remain high during Christie’s first term, 71% of respondents said they would be “very upset” with him. 

Gov. Christopher Christie has an approval rating of 33% positive to 15% negative, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett poll released this morning.

A slight majority of New Jerseyans – 52% -- withheld their opinion of Christie, who has only been in office for two weeks.

The public is skeptical that Christie will be able to do anything to rein in property taxes over the next four years, but will still be upset with him if he doesn’t.  

A majority – 56% -- felt that the state was either “not too likely” or “not at all likely” to enact reforms that will significantly reduce property taxes.  Only 8% said that the prospect was “very likely,” while 34% said it was “somewhat likely.”  Nevertheless, if property taxes remain high during Christie’s first term, 71% of respondents said they would be “very upset” with him. 

“The public has spoken, Governor Christie.  You are hereby expected to defy expectations,” said Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray. 

Only 26% of residents approve of the job the state legislature is doing, while 46% disapprove (In a February, 2007 Monmouth poll, 35% approved and 40% disapproved).

A majority of residents – 51% -- said they would be upset if Christie did not cut state spending, but 62% said they would be upset if school funding was cut.  Moreover, 47% of residents would oppose Christie laying off thousands of state workers to balance the state budget, versus 40% who oppose it.said Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray. 

Only 26% of residents approve of the job the state legislature is doing, while 46% disapprove (In a February, 2007 Monmouth poll, 35% approved and 40% disapproved).

A majority of residents – 51% -- said they would be upset if Christie did not cut state spending, but 62% said they would be upset if school funding was cut.  Moreover, 47% of residents would oppose Christie laying off thousands of state workers to balance the state budget, versus 40% who oppose it.

A referendum for approval of $400 million bond issue to fund open space preservation water supply and flood plain protection, and farmland and historic preservation projects, leads 55%-32%, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll.  Former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan announced last week that he would lead a campaign to defeat the proposal.

The initiative leads 68%-19% among Democrats and 50%-37% among Independents; it trails 40%-46% among Republicans.  Voters who say they will support Gov. Jon Corzine favor the bond issue 70%-18%, while voters backing Republican Christopher Christie oppose the public question by a wide 34%-51% margin.  Daggett supporters also support the referendum, 63%-26%.

Among likely voters who are undecided in the race for Governor, 61% say they support the bond issue and 22% oppose it. 

The three top candidates for Lt. Governor are of no consequence in the 2009 gubernatorial election, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today. 

Democrat Loretta Weinberg, a State Senator from Bergen County and a seventeen-year veteran of the Legislature, is unknown to 80% of likely voters and has statewide favorables of 11%-9%.  She is as unknown to Democrats as she is to Independents and Republicans.

Republican Kim Guadagno, the Monmouth County Sheriff, has statewide favorables of 9%-4%, but 87% of likely voters don't know who she is.  94% of undecided voters don't recognize her name.

Independent Frank Esposito, a retired Kean University professor, is unrecognized by 90% of likely voters.  He has favorables of 6%-4%.  Nearly 90% of those voting for his running mate don't know him.

A new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll has Gov. Jon Corzine and Christopher Christie tied at 39%, with independent Christopher Daggett third at 14%.  Corzine leads in North Jersey, 40%-38%, Christie leads 42%-36% in Central Jersey, and the candidates are tied at 39% in South Jersey.  Daggett runs best in Central Jersey (16%), and is at 13% in the North and 14% in the South.

Christie is getting 81% of the Republicans and Corzine receives 76% of the Democrats.  Christie has 45% of the independent vote, with Daggett at 22% and Corzine running third with 21%.  Daggett gets 11% of the Democrats, and 8% of the Republicans.

Corzine is winning women, 43%-39%, while Christie leads 40%-34% among men.  White voters favor Christie, 45%-32%, while Corzine leads 66%-17% among Blacks and Hispanics.  Daggett is at 9% among Blacks and Hispanics, below his statewide averages.

The gubernatorial race is tied, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett poll.

The poll shows Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie each getting 39%, while independent Christopher Daggett gets 14%.

A Monmouth poll from the beginning of this month showed Christie ahead of Corzine by three points - 43% to 40% -- with Daggett taking 8% of the vote.

Today's poll found that once reluctant Democrats are sticking with Corzine, but there may be some base trouble for Christie with the Republican base.  Christie had 86% of Republicans' support in the poll released early in the month and has 81% of the base in todays.  Corzine, who in July had 71% of Democrats' support, now has 76%.