Poll: New Jersey's View of Christie Turns Negative

For the first time since August 2011, more New Jersey voters have a negative view of Republican Gov. Chris Christie than a positive one, according to a new poll.

The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday finds that 42 percent of registered voters have a favorable view of the governor, versus 45 percent who have an unfavorable view.

That marks a seven-point drop in favorability over the last two months, and Christie's lowest-ever favorability rating recorded as governor, said David Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

"What had seemed like a small rebound following Christie's Bridgegate ratings collapse now looks more like a temporary blip,'' Redlawsk said in a statement released with the results, referring to the George Washington Bridge scandal that voters in the state appeared to have been moving past.

Among New Jersey voters' top concerns, the poll found, are taxes, the economy and jobs and corruption and abuse of power.

Christie's decline comes as more and more voters have expressed disapproval with the way he has handled issues including taxes, the economy and education.

The poll of 842 New Jersey residents contacted on landlines and cellphones was conducted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. The results for the 734 registered voters polled have a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.