Chris Christie: The most unpopular governor these pollsters have ever seen

A just-released survey finds the number of New Jerseyans who think Chris Christie is doing a good job as governor continues to sink.

In fact, it’s at an all-time low.

“18 percent is where the governor is in his approval rating among registered voters, which is the lowest we’ve recorded since polling on New Jersey governors for almost 15 years. 73 percent currently disapprove of his leadership,” said Krista Jenkins, director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind Poll.

She noted Christie’s support has slipped slightly since October, the last time these questions were asked in a poll.

“A proposed renovation of the statehouse may improve his digs, but the public attitudes are a lot harder to change. It remains to be seen if we’ve seen either the ceiling on the governor’s disapprovals or the basement on his approvals while in office,” she said.

The poll also finds a significant percentage of New Jerseyans believe Christie should have been charged with wrongdoing in the Bridgegate scandal.

“A full 82 percent said they believed others should have been tried, and 71 percent believe the governor should have been sitting with his former aides Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly at the defendants table,” Jenkins said.

She added “we see disbelief in Gov. Christie’s claims of ignorance about what his underlings were up to, and the only group who offers some degree of uncertainty is Republicans, but even half of them, or 51 percent, said they believe the sovernor should have also been a defendant in the Bridgegate trial.”

She pointed out in past surveys voters have indicated they simply did not buy Christie's claim that he knew nothing until incriminating texts and emails by his aides were released publicly.

Jenkins said it appears “Gov. Christie has been abandoned by virtually everyone, which is a far cry from where he once sat atop a field of aspiring presidential candidates who cut a more polarizing figure than he did.”