Christie Losing New Jersey Support?

Candidates for President typically count on strong support from their home state and like to point to their accomplishments and high approval levels as evidence they would be the best nominee for their party. It looks like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have trouble in this regard, according to a new poll reported here by Watchdog.org:

New Jersey voters flee as Christie chases White House

As Chris Christie applies for a job in the White House, he may want to think twice about using his New Jersey employers as references.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters give thumbs-down to Christie’s performance as governor, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today. And 60 percent believe the Garden State is on the wrong track.

The numbers have dropped dramatically since a high point in February 2013, when Christie savored a 73 percent approval rating versus a scant 23 percent in naysayers.

“While the governor continues to explore a national run, voters back home are expressing more and more concern about what’s happening in New Jersey and the governor’s performance in dealing with these issues,” said poll director David Redlawsk.

The poll found New Jersey’s pension crisis to be Christie’s biggest weakness. Only 22 percent of voters view his role favorably, compared to 60 percent who disapprove.

It's far to early to count Christie out of the 2016 contenders, especially if the pension issues are addressed in the current legislative session (Christie has introduced a reform package) and New Jersey voters show their appreciation with approval ratings similar to February 2013. But the low home-state approval ratings has to worry the Christie team.