By a 13-point margin, New Jersey voters don't believe Gov. Chris Christie would make a good president and they said he wouldn't beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton anyway. These are two key findings in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. 

Gov. Chris Christie
Andrew Burton, Getty Images
loading...

"Your governor is thinking of running for president and he loses to the girl next door, Hillary Clinton," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Not only does Christie lose in his home state, 50-39 percent, when paired against Clinton, but the majority of New Jersey voters, 53-40 percent, don't think he would make a good president. In fact, 49 percent of those polled don't think the country is ready for a "Jersey Guy" president such as Christie. The poll reveals some gender divide over the issue, with 51 percent of women versus 46 percent of men saying America is not ready.

Republicans view a Christie presidency favorably with 70 percent saying the governor would do well in the White House.

New Jerseyans also remain somewhat split on whether they even want Christie to run for the White House, with 44 percent saying they would like to see a Christie ticket and 50 percent saying they would not.

"If Christie does run his New Jersey neighbors say he should quit his day job. Sixty-two percent think he should resign and just 32 percent said he should stay in office," Carroll said.

Clinton doesn't just lead Christie in a presidential matchup, she also leads other possible Republican candidates the poll asked about:

  • 53-31 percent over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
  • 55-31 percent over U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
  • 52-35 percent over 2012 GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney

Of all the candidates listed in the poll, Clinton is the only one who gets a positive favorability rating, 58-35 percent.  Christie gets a negative rating, 45-47 percent, but he does do better when compared to his fellow Republicans:

  • 25-35 percent for Bush
  • 25-32 percent for Paul
  • 36-48 percent for Romney

From Dec. 3 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,340 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.

 

More From WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM