Quinnipiac

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie received the endorsement of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani today. Behind the two ex-Prosecutors is Maxwell Place, the condominium where Gov. Jon Corzine lives.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani today endorsed Christopher Christie for the Republican nomination for Governor.  Giuliani came to Hoboken this afternoon to announce his support for his fellow former U.S. Attorney.  

"Chris is a decisive leader who knows how to make the tough decisions. He will make New Jersey prosperous by cutting taxes, eliminating wasteful spending and bringing jobs back to the state," said Giuliani, who served as Mayor from 1994 to 2002.  "And Chris Christie has a plan to revitalize New Jersey's cities by bringing new jobs here, challenging failing school districts and making the streets safer. Chris is a bold leader who will bring real change to New Jersey."  

Last week, Christie won the support of the New Jersey GOP's leading elder statesman, former Gov. Thomas Kean.  The former federal prosecutor and Morris County Freeholder has announced endorsements from nearly 600 Republican party leaders and elected officials since entering the race on February 4.  A Quinnipiac University poll released the day Christie announced showed him with a 44%-38% lead over the Democratic incumbent, Jon Corzine.  

"I am humbled to have the support of Mayor Giuliani, whose strong leadership made New York City a better place and positively affected the lives of so many New Jerseyans," said Christie. "In these trying times, I will be the leader our state needs to make the tough decisions necessary to get New Jersey back on track." 

Gov. Jon Corzine has an upside-down 33%-56% approval rating on economic issues.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows that 56% of New Jerseyans disapprove of the way Gov. Jon Corzine is handling the economy, while 33% approve.  That's much different than the way New Jersey voters feel about another Democrat, President Barack Obama.  Obama has a 59%-21% approval rating in New Jersey for his handling of the economy during his two weeks as President.

Among independents, Corzine's economic approvals are upside down at 23%-65%, and he's upside down among every demographic except African American voters (43%-41%).

Corzine approve/disapprove on the economy:

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Barack Obama campaigning in Jersey City last year.

President Barack Obama has a 65%-16% approval rating in New Jersey, with 59% saying they like the way he's handled the economy so far, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this morning.  New Jerseyans back Obama's economic stimulus package 53%-36%, although 67% of voters believe the plan won't help them personally.

"The bottom line is that a majority of New Jersey voters say their personal financial situation is poor or not so good and two thirds do not expect their personal finances to get any better because of President Obama's Economic Stimulus Package being debated in Washington," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.  "Voters give the new President a strong 65 percent job approval rating, but nearly three quarters say it will take more than a year for the stimulus program to work.  One voter in five says it will not work at all."

Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney could help Jon Corzine pick up working class voters from South Jersey.

Gov. Jon Corzine has a potential problem in South Jersey, where a new Quinnipiac University poll shows him trailing former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie by five points, 42%-37%. The poll defines the South Jersey region as Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.  In 2005, Corzine beat Republican Douglas Forrester in this part of the state by 49,825 votes, a 56%-44% margin, and lost only in Cape May County.

In South Jersey, Corzine has a favorable/unfavorable rating of 43%-43%, and an upside-down approval rating of 42%-44%.  Nearly half the voters (47%) say he does not deserve to be re-elected, and 70% say they are dissatisfied with the direction New Jersey is headed. 

Against conservative Steven Lonegan, the former Mayor of Bogota, Corzine is ahead by nine points, 42%-33%, among South Jersey voters - not a great showing against a Republican whose name is not recognized by 88% of the region's voters.

Some Democrats suggest that Corzine could boost his chances in the region by picking a South Jerseyan for Lieutenant Governor.  And some Republicans think Christie could enhance his lead by doing the same thing.

Left to right: Brendan Byrne, Raymond Bateman, Jim Florio, Christine Todd Whitman and Jon Corzine

Quinnipiac University pollster Clay Richards says that incumbent Jon Corzine has suddenly become the underdog in his bid for re-election to a second term, and that the "big question is whether Corzine will come back like Democratic Gov. Brendan Byrne did in 1977 or go down to defeat like Jim Florio in 1993?"

A February 1977 Eagleton-Rutgers poll showed Byrne trailing an unnamed Republican challenger by 26 points, 45%-19%.  He had an upside-down approval rating of 22%-71%.  In a July poll taken after Byrne won the Democratic primary with 30% of the vote against ten challengers, GOP State Sen. Raymond Bateman led by seven points, 46%-39%.  Byrne was re-elected by a 56%-42% margin.

More than half of the state's voters (51%) felt Florio didn't deserve a second term in a February 1993 Eagleton-Rutgers poll.  Florio had upside-down approvals of 36%-60%.  A post-primary poll taken in June showed Republican Christine Todd Whitman and Florio in a statistical dead heat, 44%-43%.  Whitman beat Florio by 26,093 votes, 49%-48%.

U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez

It's good news for New Jersey's two United States Senators: both have positive job approval ratings, according to today's Quinnipiac University poll.  Frank Lautenberg is at 45%-38%, and Bob Menendez is at 42%-30% -- his highest mark since taking office in January 2006.  Menendez is up for re-election in 2012 and Lautenberg in 2014.

Republican Christopher Christie leads Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine by six percentage points, 44%-38%, in the race for Governor, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released early this morning. 

Corzine's approval ratings have dropped to an upside-down 41%-50%, and his favorable are upside-down at 41%-49%.

"Corzine suddenly has become the underdog in this race and history will surely repeat itself in New Jersey in 2009.  The big question is whether Corzine will come back like Democratic Gov. Brendan Byrne did in 1977 or go down to defeat like Jim Florio in 1993," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

In a Republican primary, Christie, the former U.S. Attorney, leads former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan 44%-17%, with Franklin Mayor Brian Levine at 5% and Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) at 2%. 

More than half of New Jersey voters, 54%-33%, say that Corzine does not deserve to be re-elected to a second term.   Just 23% of independent voters want Corzine for another four years, 64% do not.  Christie leads Corzine among independents by a 49%-24% margin.
 
Most New Jerseyans still don't know Christie (61%) or Lonegan (78%).  Christie has a 31%-7% favorable rating.

In a head-to-head general election matchup, Corzine leads Lonegan 42%-36%.  Lonegan leads among independents by 12 points, 40%-28%, and has a 15%-6% favorable rating.

Quinnipiac University will release a new poll Wednesday morning that looks at Gov. Jon Corzine's approval rating and tests him in a head-to-head matchup against former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie  for the 2009 gubernatorial race.  A November 19 Quinnipiac poll had Corzine's jon appoval upside-down at 43%-46%.  Corzine led Christie 42%-36%.

Democrats think today's Quinnipiac gubernatorial poll indicates that Gov. Jon Corzine is well on his way to being understood and embraced by the electorate after making several unpopular and tough, but necessary decisions.

Republicans see the poll as demonstrating lackluster support for the Corzine, considering he's spent a combined $100 million on his two previous statewide races, and early enthusiasm for U.S. Attorney Chris Christie's potential candidacy among those who have heard of him.

Meanwhile, non-partisan political analysts see the poll as a wash, with promising and troubling results for both Corzine and U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, who is viewed as a likely gubernatorial candidate.

Corzine leads Christie in the poll, 42% to 36%, although only 37% of voters think Corzine deserves to be reelected and his approval rating remains net negative. Christie remains a relative unknown, with only 30% of respondents knowing enough about him to form an opinion.

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, said that's the number that caught his attention. Despite dozens of positive front page headlines about his indictments and convictions of prominent public officials since he was sworn in, 70% of voters still barely know anything about him.

On top of that, although Corzine still has a net negative approval rating, he's improved significantly since the last Quinnipiac poll in September.

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President Bush now has lower approval ratings in New Jersey than Richard Nixon did in May 1974, three months before he resigned the presidency

George W. Bush’s job approval ratings among New Jersey voters is at the lowest point in his presidency.  A new Quinnipiac University poll has Bush at an upside-down 18%-78%, worse than his 22%-75% numbers in a June poll.  Bush is now upside-down among Republicans, 45%-48%.  And in heavily Republican northwestern New Jersey, which includes Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties, the 43rd president is at an upside-down 24%-71%.  Among African Americans, Bush's positive job approval does not register; his negative is at 95%.

In New Jersey, Bush is now less popular than Richard Nixon was three months before his 1974 resignation.  An Eagleton-Rutgers poll had Nixon’s job approval at 19%-76%.