November 9, 2010 - New Jersey's Christie Gets Good Grades For First Year, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Voters Say 2-1 He's Not Ready For White House
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New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie gets decent grades from voters as he nears the end of his first year in office, with a 51 - 38 percent approval rating, higher than President Barack Obama or any other statewide leader, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Assigning letter grades to the governor's performance, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds:
* 17 percent of New Jersey voters give Christie an A;
* 31 percent give him a B;
* 20 percent give him a C;
* 16 percent give him a D;
* 15 percent give him an F.
Christie is more of a leader than a bully, voters say 50 - 42 percent. But 48 percent say he is "confrontational," while 43 percent say he is "honest and refreshing."
His first year in office has been mainly a success, 52 percent of voters say, while 35 percent say it's been mainly a failure. Christie is doing a better job than expected, 32 percent say, as 23 percent say he is doing a worse job and 42 percent say he is doing about as well as they expected.
"We like our in-your-face governor, Christopher Christie, and think he's a real Jersey guy - sometimes a bully, often confrontational, but getting a fair number of A's and a lot of B's in his first year," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"But all that Christie-for-President chatter in the national news media? New Jerseyans think it's more political gossip than a serious possibility. Only one in five think he might run and most doubt that he's ready for the White House."
New Jersey voters say 61 - 24 percent that Christie would not make a good president. Even Republicans say only 45 - 36 percent that their governor is ready for the White House. Christie will not run for president in 2012, voters say 60 - 21 percent, and speculation that he will is just political gossip, 67 percent of voters say.
Still, Christie outscores President Obama, who gets a negative 46 - 50 percent approval rating in the Garden State, down from a 47 - 47 percent split in an August 19 Quinnipiac University poll and Obama's worst score ever in the state...