WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Phil Murphy isn’t exactly unpopular, Save Jerseyans, but he’s less popular at the same point as Governors Jon Corzine and Chris Christie in their own respective tenures. And plenty of residents don’t have an opinion of him at all.
Those are the key findings of a brand new poll released Tuesday by Monmouth University Polling.
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Murphy’s approval rating stands at 41% approve and 38% disapprove, statistically close to the 43%-40% rating recorded by Monmouth in February 2019. Murphy disapproval rating as risen since April 2018 when it stood at only 28%.
In October 2011, Republican Chris Christie’s approval rating was 54% approve and 38% disapprove.
Back in September 2007, Democrat Jon Corzine had a 46% approve and 32% disapprove rating.
Murphy’s current rating is closer to that of Jim McGreevey, also a Democrat, who sat at 38% approve (and 40% disapprove) in a September 2003 poll conducted by a different institution: Eagleton. Dogged by controversy and scandal, McGreevey ultimately resigned in late 2004 rather than seek reelection.
Relative anonymity may be helping Murphy. For example, while only 10% approve of Murphy’s handling of the Newark water crisis, a full 41% report no opinion and 21% confess ignorance of this major story.
“Murphy’s approval rating has been stuck at a nearly even split this year. Recent events, such as the Newark water crisis, have not helped cast him in the best light. But the bigger issue seems to be that he is simply flying under the radar for most New Jerseyans,” opined Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Click here to review the full polling report.
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