Christie’s overall approval rating is 63%, according to Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. The governor’s ratings are slightly stronger among registered voters, 65% of whom approve of his job performance. 86% of Republicans, 64% of Independents and 52% of give Christie high marks.
On the stump, Christie has been promoting how he has reduced the size of government in New Jersey since taking office. “There’s over 5000 fewer employees in state government today than when I took office, and over 20,000 fewer government employees across the state,” Christie says in a campaign video, “We promised to make government smaller, we’ve made government smaller.” Despite these facts, 54% of public workers approve of Christie’s job performance compared to 37% who do not.
Since Superstorm Sandy, there has been virtually no “gender gap” in Christie’s approval ratings as measured by the Monmouth Poll. In a poll released on September 27, 2012, one month before Sandy, men approved of Christie’s performance by a 61%-31% margin. Women approved by only 6 points, 47%-41%. In Murray’s first post Sandy poll on Christie, in December, the gender gap closed. 68% of men and 66% of women approved in December. The trend continued in the February poll with 69% of men and 70% of women approving of the governor. In today’s poll, the gender gap exceeded the statistical margin of error for the first time since Sandy, with the surprising result that women approve of Christie more than men do. Women approve by a 65%-26% margin and men approve by 61%-27%.
If Murray polled a head to head match up between Christie and the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, State Senator Barbara Buono, he did not report the results today. He did report that 59% of registered voters think that Christie deserves a second term.
LD 13:Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright, Union Beach
The idea that State Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon could be defeated by their Tea Party challengers, Leigh-Ann Bellew for Senate and Edna Walsh and Stephen Boracchia for Assembly, in the June 4 primary is unthinkable, even laughable, to many Monmouth County Republicans.
But recent history and a look at the numbers indicate that an upset with statewide consequences could very well be in the making if the challenge is not taken seriously.
With only nominal competition in the governor’s race, voter turnout in the Republican primary on June 4 is likely to be very low. Therein lies the danger for the incumbents. Even “good Republicans” rarely vote in primaries. Even fewer if there is no perceived competition.
There are 34,216 registered Republicans in the 13th district. In the 2011 primary, the last time the legislature was on the ballot, only 2,274 Republicans voted. The challengers know that.
“You’re very nice, Senator, seriously,” Matthews said to end the interview to Buono’s disapproving smirk.
Matthews spent the first two thirds of the segment setting Governor Chris Christie up as impossible to beat in November. A “Dawn Quixote” graphic, inferring that Buono’s quest to defeat Christie in November is an Impossible Dream, displayed for the entire interview.
State Sen Barbara Buono and US Sen Bob Mendendez. Photo: Barbara Buono/facebook
Barbara Buono, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor will be a guest on Hardball with Chris Matthews this evening at 5:45.
A Democrat who does not want to be known for talking to a Republican blogger told MMM that Buono receives tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions every time she goes on MSNBC.
Bayshore Tea Party Group Co-Founders Bob Gordon and Barbara Gonzalez took to their Asbury Park Press blog yesterday to attempt to explain why they are challenging the 13th Legislative District and County Republican incumbents. In this post I’ll attempt to explain their explanation with the benefit of having spoken to them and having attended the meeting where they introduced most of their candidates. If I get any of it wrong, I suspect they will correct me in the comments.
Gordon and Gonzalez would probably object to the characterization that they are challenging the incumbents. They would say they are supporting the challenge, not doing the challenging. Just as senate candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew said she is not the BTPG’s candidate, but anticipates the group’s support. This a linguistic distinction without a practical difference. The challenge is a Tea Party challenge.
“The world lost a giant yesterday,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, Republican candidate for State Senate in District 13. “My condolences go out to the family of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She blazed the path for women like me to enter into politics, showing that a strong woman can be an effective leader.”
In a statement released this afternoon, Bellew called for men and women alike to emulate Thatcher’s strong leadership, free market principles and reverence for life.
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg missed work, on doctors orders, for the entire month of March. On Friday he released a statement saying he will not return to Washington on Monday as the Senate convenes after a two week recess, according to reports in The Star Ledger and Politico.
“I regret that I will not be returning to Washington next week as I continue treatment for, and recuperate from, muscle weakness and fatigue. My physician continues to advise me to work from home and not travel at this time,” Lautenberg said in a statement issued by his office.
Lautenberg added: “I am disappointed I will not be present for the opening of the debate on gun legislation in the Senate. It is an issue I am deeply passionate about, and my victories over the gun lobby are among my proudest accomplishments. I am, however, gratified that my legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines will be one of the key amendments offered to this bill.”
Lautenberg will also miss the confirmation of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, a nomination that was initially blocked by New Jersey’s junior senator, Bob Menendez.
“I have worked hard since Judge Shwartz’s nomination by President Obama toward her confirmation, and I am confident that she will be confirmed by a strong majority of my colleagues,” Lautenberg said.
Lautenberg, 89, announced in February that he would not seek reelection in 2014.
Should the senate seat become vacant on or before August 27, New Jersey’s election law requires that a successor be elected in the November general election. If a vacancy occurs after August 27, the next election for the seat would be on schedule in November of 2014, unless the governor calls for a special election sooner. Governor Christie could appoint a temporary senator or leave the seat vacant.
LD 13 GOP State Senate challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew wasted no time in kicking off her campaign to unseat incumbent State Senator Joe Kyrillos.
“Negative” is not a strong enough word for the press release Bellew sent out this afternoon. “Scathing” is a more accurate description.
IN OFFICE SINCE THE 1980s, KYRILLOS TAKES HEAT FROM CONSERVATIVE PRIMARY CHALLENGE
Union Beach, NJ — State Senator and defeated 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos, a leading GOP “moderate” who has broken with most Republicans on taxes, abortion and gun control, is facing a conservative primary challenger backed by a full slate of candidates.
“Joe Kyrillos has been in office since the 1980s – that’s nearly 30 years – and his ‘accomplishments’ have included tripling state spending, endorsing new and expanded gun control laws, and supporting abortion,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, a Union Beach educator and conservative activist challenging Kyrillos in the June 4 Republican Primary.
Republican challenger for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District told MoreMonmouthMusings that she is not the Bayshore Tea Party Group’s candidate, as we have been reporting.
“While Bayshore will likely support me, I am not their candidate,” said Bellew, “I have a professional team running this campaign and much of my support will come from outside the tea party.”
Bellew is running against Senator Joe Kyrillos for the GOP nomination in the June 4th primary.
Monmouth County Republican Chairman John Bennett said that “it is ludicrous to me that these individuals are being challenged” in the primary. Bennett was speaking to MoreMonmoutMusings about the primary challenges to his 13th legislative team of Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assembly members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon, as well as Sheriff Shaun Golden and Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso.
John Bennett
“I have no idea what their agenda is,” Bennett said of the Bayshore Tea Party Group and their slate of candidates who filed to challenge the incumbents today,” our candidates are doing great jobs and are conservatives.”
“We will treat this challenge like any other election against our good, strong incumbents and return these good people to office with every resource at our disposal.”
“The world lost a giant yesterday,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, Republican candidate for State Senate in District 13. “My condolences go out to the family of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She blazed the path for women like me to enter into politics, showing that a strong woman can be an effective leader.”