A new Monmouth poll out Tuesday suggests Chris Christie could have trouble carrying his own state were he to launch a long-shot 2024 presidential bid.
Only 19% of New Jersey poll respondents said they believe Christie, who is actively testing the waters, would make a good U.S. president; only 34% of New Jersey Republicans think he’d do a good job.
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Christie also ranked as the least popular recent former governor, well below the likes of Whitman, Florio, and even Jon Corzine and Jim McGreevey…
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“The sense that Christie turned his back on New Jersey in pursuit of higher office was the main reason for a sharp drop in his ratings by the time he left office. Incidents like Bridgegate or Beachgate serve as vivid memes for this lingering sentiment,” said pollster Patrick Murray.
Chris Christie’s favorability remains in the basement because he doesn’t have a political home.
He pissed off the hardcore Trumpers by being less-than-loyal to the Donald. He pissed off the establishment by endorsing Trump in the first place. He pissed off conservatives by cutting deals with Democrats and failing to live up to his corruption-busting, government-reforming early rhetoric. Democrats hate him for obvious reasons, and I think Murray’s fairly on-point regarding why independents don’t like him.
I’d add this: he promised to turn Trenton upside down, but his quixotic presidential bid, Bridgegate, and revealing missteps (like sitting on the beach during a shutdown) killed his brand with non-ideological voters.
If Democrats want to make sure Christie ’24 doesn’t get off of the ground?
With such weak support for N.J. Republicans, Christie may not win a GOP presidential primary in the Garden State. Dems could move the presidential primary up from June to the winter (something they’ve considered doing in the past); if Christie lost his home state, that would certainly be the end of the road assuming he makes it that far.
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