Christie Holds Commanding Lead Over Potential Rivals for Governorship
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- A newly released poll suggests that New Jersey governor Chris Christie is in a good position to retain his job in this year's re-election effort.
More than two-thirds of the 1,600 registered New Jersey voters questioned by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute say Christie deserves a second term, including almost half the Democrats who responded to last week's survey.
Poll director Mickey Carroll says that when Christie is put side-by-side against his only announced opponent, a North Jersey state senator, "Barbara Buono trails Governor Christie by 41 points -- 63 to 22."
Two other Democrats thought to still be in the hunt don't fare much better: state senate president and Gloucester County native Steve Sweeney trails Christie 61 to 25 percent, and state senator Richard Codey, who served as interim governor, does no better than 59-30.
