A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll demonstrated both the strength of Hillary Clinton and demise of Chris Christie as Clinton leads Christie by 23 points in his home state of New Jersey.
According to the poll:
For many, hope for a woman president is apparently related to being “ready for Hillary.” A large majority of New Jersey voters has a positive view of Clinton and her potential, with 63 percent saying she would make a good president overall. Respondents are very upbeat about Clinton: 70 percent say she has the right “look” to be president, 74 percent say she has the right “demeanor and personality” and 83 percent say she has the right amount of “experience” when considered against other potential Democratic contenders.
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Clinton continues to command high favorability ratings here. Her 59 percent favorable to 31 percent unfavorable rating puts her well ahead of any other figures the poll tested, including President Obama (53 percent favorable to 38 percent unfavorable). One result of her strong showing is that she easily crushes potential 2016 Republican opponents in New Jersey head-to-head matchups. She tops Gov. Chris Christie, 58 percent to 35 percent; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 58 percent to 32 percent;and Wisc. Gov. Scott Walker, 60 percent to 29 percent.
Republicans desperately need a candidate who can flip some blue states into their column in 2016. That candidate isn’t Chris Christie. Gov. Christie’s plunging approval ratings and scandal-plagued administration would be enough to for most potential candidates to realize that a run for the White House isn’t in the cards. Chris Christie is still hanging on to that post-Sandy high.
The reality is that Hillary Clinton would be able to be most of the potential Republican field in their home states. Candidates like Rick Perry and Rand Paul would win their home states with ease because they are very Republican, but the Republican governors in blue states like Christie and Scott Walker would struggle to win their home states as well as find it difficult to turn other blue states red.
The only potential Republican, who could flip a blue state or two is Jeb Bush, and there are questions about how effective he will be as a candidate. Hillary Clinton has a great chance of keeping almost all of the states that President Obama carried while adding a few more. As this poll illustrates, Chris Christie is living a lie if he still thinks that he can be elected president.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
