Poll: Christie Wins Strong Bipartisan Support, Dominant Lead Over Challenger
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continues to ride a wave of strong support as he held his 102nd town hall meeting Tuesday.
The Republican governor spoke to a packed house at St. Luke's Baptist Church in Paterson, a city that gave him little support four years ago.
Christie noted he garnered just 11 percent of the vote in Paterson when he ran against Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine in 2009.
But the governor says he's not afraid to speak before crowds of people who may not have voted for him. He told the crowd that as New Jerseyans, "we're all from here.''
At the town hall, Christie announced an expansion of the Promise Communities Initiative, aimed at providing early childhood education and other services.
The town hall came on the same day a new poll showing Christie with a high approval rating.
WEB EXTRA: Full Poll Results (pdf)
The Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll found 66 percent of registered voters think Christie is doing a good job.
Christie enjoys bipartisan support, with 55 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents giving him high marks, according to the poll.
Christie also leads his likely Democratic gubernatorial opponent State Sen. Barbara Buono by 36 points, 59 percent to 23 percent.
"The governor's strong numbers, both in regard to his job performance and perceptions of how the state is faring, underscore the broad base of support he continues to enjoy," said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind and professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. "This is perhaps why he fares considerably better than Senator Barbara Buono in a hypothetical head-to-head."
Christie has fared well in several recent polls, both for his performance in office and for his re-election aspirations.
The telephone survey of 702 registered voters was conducted from March 4-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
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