It appears the so-called political experts were wrong in saying Gov. Chris Christie has no coattails heading into the November 5th General Election.

Gov. Chris Christie
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The Christie coattails effect isn't likely to help Republicans retake control of either the State Senate or the General Assembly because lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle are riding the governor's wave of popularity.

The latest Monmouth University-Asbury Park Press poll finds that the state legislature has a slightly positive job rating. Thirty-nine percent approve of the job lawmakers are doing while 34 percent disapprove among all residents and 38 percent approve to 36 percent disapprove among registered voters.

"That's not great, but it's still much better than the pre-Sandy polls going back at least six years where the numbers have always been negative," explains Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "So, even the State legislature has gotten a bump in the ratings from Sandy."

Is the legislature doing a great job in helping with the Sandy recovery and rebuilding efforts? Murray thinks lawmakers are benefiting from Christie's work.

"I think there's just been a Sandy sheen and the legislature has been able to trail along with the governor in terms of how the state has been able to handle what may be the worst disaster to hit at least in our own memory," says Murray. "The legislature still gets a little bit of the benefit of the doubt because of what the governor's doing in terms of Sandy recovery."

The Garden State's Senators and Assembly members shouldn't get too comfortable with the positive rating advises Murray.

"As time goes on and we get past the rebuilding effort of Sandy we're probably going to see a return to those negative grades that we've been seeing for most of the past decade," predicts Murray.

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