Poll: NJ Voters View Christie As Leader, Not Bully
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie's approval rating and credibility remain strong among New Jersey voters surveyed in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
Sixty-six percent of the voters who have heard or read something about the George Washington Bridge lane closures say they believe Christie did not personally order the traffic jams.
Even 53 percent of Democrats polled say they don't believe Christie was involved. Half say Christie's aides acted alone while 41 percent say the governor knew what his aides were doing.
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Voters approve of the job Christie is doing 55 to 38 percent, down from an all-time high of 74 percent in February 2013.
The telephone survey was conducted from Jan. 10 to Jan. 13 and has sampling error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Meanwhile, the Port Authority is expected to turn over documents to a Senate committee investigating the lane closures.
The bridge scandal was the first topic of Christie's State of the State address Tuesday afternoon.
"Mistakes were clearly made," he said. "I know our citizens deserve better, much better."
After addressing the scandal, Christie quickly switched gears, claiming progress during his first term including a lower unemployment rate.
He also called for a longer school day and school year for New Jersey students and addressed New Jersey's high property taxes, calling for new tax relief.
Christie also wants to end sick leave payouts to government employees, saying sick time should be used when you're sick.
The governor said reforms to the state's pension system are also needed as well as establishing a special unit to investigate pension fraud.
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