New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s approval ratings fell to an all-time low following his controversial weekend trip to a closed beach on the Jersey Shore, when the beaches were closed to New Jersey residents due to a fight over the budget.
Just 15 percent of New Jersey adults approve of the job Christie, a Republican, is doing as governor, and 80 percent disapprove, according to the new poll from the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
The governor’s approval rating less than half of President Trump’s 35 percent approval rating, and is lower than the 23 percent approval rating of the New Jersey state legislature.
“It is difficult to drive approval ratings into the single digits barring something like a criminal conviction. However, you have to admire Christie’s seeming tenacity for trying to get his numbers down to that level,” Patrick Murray, directly of the Monmouth Polling Institute said in a statement. “In reality, Christie may have found the floor for his ratings, but it’s a level where most of his constituents now feel his time on office has hurt the state.”
In addition to his low approval rating, Monmouth found that 55 percent of New Jersey residents feel the Garden State is worse off because of Christie’s time in the governor’s mansion. One year ago, 41 percent of residents felt that way.
Christie’s sliding approval rating followed the state government shutdown, which occurred over the Fourth of July weekend after the state legislature failed to pass a budget. Because of the shutdown, New Jersey public beaches, parks, and historical landmarks were closed.
But Christie and his family were spotted in aerial photos sitting on an empty beach closed to the public during the July Fourth weekend.
The governor and his family were outside of the state-owned governor’s retreat at Island Beach State Park, and Christie was unapologetic when asked about the photos.
“That’s just the way it goes,” he told reporters last week. “Run for governor, and you can have a residence.”
But New Jersey residents disagreed with Christie’s decision to take advantage of the retreat while beaches were closed.
Eighty-six percent of those polled saw the photos of the governor and his family, and 67 percent disapproved. The most commonly used words to describe the photos were “disgusted,” “anger,” and “disbelief.”
“This is New Jerseyans telling it like it is, but the governor has said that he basically doesn’t care what they think,” Murray said. “This just confirms what most of his constituents suspected for the past three years.”
Monmouth conducted the poll from July 6 to July 9, and surveyed 800 New Jersey adults.
