Christie Reputation Damaged Only A Little By Bridge Scandal, Polls Indicate
By John Ostapkovich
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Three new polls are out, tracking public reaction to Governor Christie and "Bridgegate."
Bottom line: his image has been dinged but not totaled.
Two of the polls -- Quinnipiac, and Monmouth/AP -- surveyed only New Jersey residents. A third, Pew, went national.
Of course, a far higher percentage of Garden Staters have been keeping up with Bridgegate, but Quinnipiac found that the governor is called a "leader" by 54 percent of respondents and a "bully" by 40 percent -- a lower "bully" score than he's often gotten.
Fifty-one percent called Christie "trustworthy."
The governor's job approval slipped six percent in the Monmouth/AP poll, but it's still at 59 percent. Two-thirds of those responding thought the George Washington Bridge lane closures underlying the "Bridgegate" scandal (see related stories) were political, but three-fourths think that's politics-as-usual.
Nationally, 60 percent say their opinion of Christie has not changed, although only one in five paid much attention to the controversy. Far more indicted they were concentrating on the wicked winter weather.