Gov. Chris Christie’s approval numbers have leveled off but remain well below their pre-Bridgegate levels, according to a new Monmouth University-Asbury Park Press poll that also shows New Jersey voters bearish on the governor's presidential prospects.

Gov. Chris Christie (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Gov. Chris Christie (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
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The survey, released Wednesday, is the first since a report commissioned by Christie's office cleared him of wrongdoing in the controversial lane closings at the George Washington Bridge last September, calling the traffic disruption a politically motivated act by his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly and former Port Authority official David Wildstein, a Christie appointee.

“It looks like the governor has stopped the bleeding in terms of his approval rating dropping,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “Right now it stands at 51 percent approve to 41 percent disapprove among all adults in New Jersey and 51 percent approve to 43 percent disapprove among registered voters.”

Those numbers haven’t changed much since February, but they are nowhere near where they stood at the tail end of 2013.

“He stands at 51percent right now, but you have to remember that these numbers are 14 percent lower than they were in December before the Bridgegate scandal broke,” Murray said.

When it comes to Christie’s political future, 62 percent said the Bridgegate scandal has hurt his 2016 presidential prospects, an increase over the 51 percent who felt that way in January.

The survey also shows New Jerseyans are skeptical about that internal report, with 61 percent saying they do not believe the governor has been completely honest about his role in Bridgegate. Investigations by the U.S. Attorney and a joint legislative committee are continuing.

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