Likely New Jersey voters surveyed are divided over whether Gov. Chris Christie would make a good president.
A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released Tuesday shows 48 percent say they would like to see the Republican run for president in 2016. Forty-one percent would not.
However, they are divided 42 to 43 percent on whether Christie would make a good president. Most Republicans surveyed say yes, most Democrats say no, and 43 percent of independent voters say Christie would compared to 39 percent who say he wouldn't.
"Voters in his own state are split over whether Christie would make a good President and only about half think he ought to run," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "He's near the top in all the national polls. But not with his Garden State neighbors."
The telephone survey of 1,203 likely New Jersey voters has a sampling error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Before he can focus on president, Christie must first win re-election for governor. He faces a challenge from Democrat Barbara Buono in next month’s election. Christie is expected to easily win re-election.
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"The election looks like a runaway," said Carroll. "Even almost a third of Democrats pick Christie over State Sen. Barbara Buono. She's been an energetic campaigner, but more than a third of voters don't know enough about her to decide whether or not they like her."
