Poll: Christie Speech Won't Change NJ Image

No keynote ‘bump’ for Christie in new poll.

New Jersey voters appear unaffected by both Gov. Chris Christie (R) being passed over as Mitt Romney’s running mate and his selection as the Republican National Convention keynote speaker.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Tuesday shows 46 percent don’t expect the governor’s speech to enhance the state’s image, 32 percent say it will have a positive effect and 14 percent say it will hurt the way the state is viewed by the rest of the country.

Christie takes the national stage Tuesday evening, to deliver the RNC keynote address in prime time. He follows Ann Romney, wife of the presumptive GOP nominee.

The poll also shows 64 percent of the voters say it doesn’t matter that Romney chose Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R) over Christie. Ten percent are disappointed and 25 percent are pleased about the choice.

The governor’s approval rating remains steady, with 49 percent saying they have a favorable impression of Christie and 40 percent answering unfavorable. His job performance draws “A’s” and “B’s” from 45 percent and an “F” grade from 16 percent. Those figures are nearly unchanged since a poll in June.

The Rutgers-Eagleton results come from a poll of 916 registered voters conducted statewide from Aug 23 - 25. The sample has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.

The governor set up two new social media accounts dedicated to his time in the spotlight. He is tweeting from @christiekeynote on Twitter and posting videos and photos on a new Tumblr account.

The convention on Tuesday also features Central New Jersey native Philip Alongi singing the National Anthem at the afternoon opening ceremony. Before Christie speaks Tuesday night the convention will hear from former Republican Pennsylvania U.S. senator Rick Santorum and Sher Valenzuela, the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor in Delaware.

NBC10 is providing complete Decision 2012 and convention coverage. Our team is in Florida for the Republican National Convention. Be sure to watch NBC10's Rosemary Connors' live reports on air and streaming live online and follow @RosemaryConnors, NBC10 producer @MichaelPecker10 and #RNCPhilly on Twitter, for complete coverage all week from Tampa.

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