Governor Who? One-third in NJ don’t know Murphy is governor, poll says

A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds many in the Garden State have a problem remembering just who our current governor is.

FDU Poll Director Krista Jenkins said 1 in 3 polled did not know that Phil Murphy is the governor now.

There was also "a very very small number, I believe it was 21 in total,who identified the past governor as the current governor, Chris Christie," Jenkins said.

Gender didn't really come into play in the poll — men and women were about equally informed (or under-informed). There were, however, differences in income levels.

"People who make a little bit more tend to be a little bit more aware of who the governor is," Jenkins said.

But even with about 33 percent unable to tell you Murphy is the state's top executive, 42 percent approve of the job he's doing, according to the poll. About 32 percent disapprove.

According to Jenkins, those numbers could go either way for Murphy in the future.

"On the bright side, this means he has a lot of potential to improve his ratings," Jenkins said. "But on the pessimistic side, it means he's just not connecting with voters."

But with a third of voters not even knowing who he is, there's opportunity to make a good impression.

New Jersey isn't much of an outlier in the poll. A recent national survey by Johns Hopkins University also found that a third of all Americans cannot name their governor.

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5.